


Take Me Home

by SaiKida134



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Action, Angst, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, M/M, My First Fanfic, Reader-Insert, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 07:17:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17039240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaiKida134/pseuds/SaiKida134
Summary: Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader(1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.(2) After Thanos wiped out half the universe, a new face crosses Steve’s path asking to join the fight. Y/N declares herself to him asking for a chance at vengeance. Thanos took everything from her. Both Bucky and her bundle of joy.





	1. Author's Note

Inspiration: Events of Infinity War and Take Me Home by Jess Glynne

This fanfic I’ve been fantasizing about for God knows how long and I’m finally doing it!!! I had two ideas for the same fic and I couldn’t choose either so I plan on kinda making them as an AU for each other but with a common background. This is completely new territory for me whether it be the fanfiction part or the smut part or incorporating two ideas as AUs of each other. I’m labeling each chapter as to which of the two AUs it belongs and if it’s a common part between the two I’ll label it with a star so it’d be easier to differentiate. For example:

Chapter (1) - 1

Chapter (2) - ★

Chapter (3) - 2

I also wanted to mention that I'll be using German and Russian in some conversations. Yes, I used google translate for those so if you're a speaker of these languages and you find  mistakes please do alert me of them. Translations of all foreign texts will be present at the end of every chapter. 

Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that at the beginning of each chapter I'll put a small recap of the previous chapter's ending and I'll have that italicized so it'd be visible where does the recap end and the actual chapter begin. Flashbacks during a chapter will also be italicized to make the sudden change in flow more notable.

I'm not perfect ad English isn't my first language, so if there's any types of mistakes anywhere, please do correct me, but I'll make sure I reduce those mistakes to a minimum.

I'm also going to mention songs or soundtracks that will go with each chapter/scene -since I wanna create this movie-like atmosphere- in the author note at the beginning of each chapter.

So excuse the mess that I might make and I hope you guys do enjoy the story!! XD Also, a special thanks for Miku & Em cuz these two lovely ladies backed me up and gave me the courage to post this ♥️♥️ and an extra special thanks to Em for beta-ing this series for me!! I love you girls~!! I’m gonna try posting as frequently as possible and no worries I already have most of both plots down. Feedback is always appreciated!! <3


	2. Chapter (1) - 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAS!! I CAN DO THIS!! I’m so excited!!! XD as you guys can see I’m gonna start with route 1) so yeah a bit confusing but bear with me! It’s worth it (I hope so lol) anything I write in Russian is google translated so excuse that and I’ll put the translation by the end of every chapter so yeah. Enjoy~!!
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of depression, loss of identity and nightmares. Triggering mentioned.

The images kept flashing. The voices sounded distant yet so familiar. He could hear the bated breathing of someone. A muffled voice. A woman’s voice. He couldn’t recognize it. Yet he longed for it. Heated skin. Everything was so confusing. He couldn’t focus on anything. As if he were drugged. Slowly the voice started getting clearer…

“… ат… солдат…?”

Bucky gasped as he finally snapped out of that dream. He was panting and gasping heavily. It wasn’t a nightmare so why was he so agitated…? … or was it a nightmare…? He rubbed his eyes and tried to remember the inexistent details. Ever since he was ridden of the trigger words of HYDRA, he’s been having these recurring dreams. The psychiatrist that was appointed to him said it was probably his mind trying to regain back the lost pieces of his memories. He heaved a sigh and got out of bed. No more sleep for tonight. He checked the time, 4:20 AM, and then headed for the closet to get some clothes. He wore a pair of grey sweatpants and a muscle T-shirt with a black zip up before he headed out for a run.

Running always helped clear his mind. Especially this early. The refreshing breeze. The silence. Watching the sunrise. It felt so soothing to him. Yet something always felt like it’s missing. Something clawing at his heart as he stared at the sky, slowly shifting from blue to lilac to light blue. He stopped in his tracks as he felt another set of memories flash through his mind.

The sound of waves crashing into a cliff. A small hand enclosed tightly in his metal grip. The sound of his steps as he dragged someone towards the edge of the cliff.

“…. солдат? куда мы идем?” A muffled female’s voice came. Her voice had a hint of concern.

He didn’t know what was happening. There was a sudden scream. Then an alarm. Then he looked up at the sky. It was sunrise.

He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples. The migraine that was threatening to make an appearance finally arrived. He heaved a sigh and continued with his run. He only wanted to know one thing… who was she…?

***********

Bucky returned to the compound at 6:30 AM and everyone were already awake. The compound was bustling with energy, everyone going about their morning routine. Wanda and Vision preparing breakfast for everyone. Peter had his face glued to a book as he had a test that day. Tony and Bruce were debating some improvements in the hulk buster armor. Natasha was in charge of the coffee. Steve and Sam had just returned from their run. The blonde finally noticed him.

“Morning, Buck! You’re up early! I checked your room before Sam and I headed out so you can come along” he commented with an encouraging smile

“…..Yeah couldn’t sleep…” Bucky gave him a half smile not wanting to talk about it so Steve knew better than to press harder.

Food was placed down on the table and everyone were exchanging playful banter left and right. Something that was so mundane, Bucky always felt a bit foreign about it. But nonetheless, he reveled in the little sense of normality. He’d laugh a little here, throw a snarky comment there, bicker with Sam a little. All was good. Life was looking good.

“Mr. Stark! The system is under attack! We’re being hacked, sir!” Came the declaration of the A.I in a tone of urgency.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, FRIDAY… really? Someone hacking into MY system? That’s impossible”

“I’m not lying sir, whoever it is they’re successfully taking down the firewalls at top speed” she replied in an almost panicked tone “I’m increasing defenses but I don’t think that could hold them much longer-“ suddenly the sound was shut down

“…. FRIDAY? FRIDAY? … you have got to be kidding me” Tony grumbled in agitation as he quickly got out of his seat and rushed to the main computers’ room, the rest of the team following closely by his footsteps. Natasha was right by his side, knowing fully well she’s among the few truly capable of helping with this unexpected situation. Bucky froze in his place… he had a bad feeling about this… he shook his head to steel himself and quickly followed the pack.

Tony scrambled towards one of the computers as soon as he stormed into the room, Natasha taking up another as they quickly worked to save what could be saved

“… Bastard deactivated FRIDAY and locked her source code.. how could he?” He gritted his teeth as he worked on setting his A.I free from the hacker’s imprisonment.

“Tony, I’ve never seen this form of hacking before, it might be a new method” Natasha informed, already engrossed on the keyboard. “Whoever’s doing this are either really smart or really stupid… I’ll try to track them” she informed as her fingers worked at top speed.

Monitor after monitor started blacking out then flashing with running binary code. The female kept working as quickly as she could.

“Who do you think could be doing this?” Steve asked with a deep frown as he and the others observed silently and vision went to help Tony put the A.I back up.

“…. I don’t know Steve… but hey!! I’ve successfully tracked them… this is extremely fishy…” she displayed the location on a satellite map “It’s a rural area by the borders between the US and Canada…. there isn’t any inhabitants there…” she shook her head in confusion

“Nat… If the hacker is smart enough to breach my system and deactivate FRIDAY, but stupid enough to let us track him….”

“… That can only mean one thing…” she continued

“… He wants us to find him…” Steve concluded with a grim expression.

Suddenly, the binary code froze and slowly formed a word:

“ **Bingo** ”

“I don’t know what you’re after, you bastard, but I can assure you, you’ll regret ever messing with us” Tony threatened venomously.

Bucky had a bad feeling about this… he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop… and that’s when it did. A second message got displayed on all the monitors.

Bucky clenched his fists as his eyes widened. His blood froze, breathing quickened, panic settled in him. This can’t be happening…

“ **Come and Get me, солдат.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> • солдат = Soldat = Soldier  
> • куда мы идем? = where are we going?
> 
> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don't repost without proper crediting.


	3. Chapter (2) - 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOOONG ASS chapter lol XD I did my best with this one. I’m really trudging on new territories left and right with this piece!! But I’m enjoying every minute of it!! Anyway~, I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did!!
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of death, infinity war spoilers (in case you still haven’t seen it), language.

_Bucky clenched his fists as his eyes widened. His blood froze, breathing quickened, panic settled in him. This can’t be happening…_

_“ **Come and Get me, солдат.** ”_

The team settled in the meeting room as both Natasha and Vision worked to save what could be saved after the attack. Tony kept drumming his fingers on the table impatiently as he stared at Bucky with a wary gaze. The poor man looked like a shell of himself… his eyes wide and horrified. He just sat there, picturing the worst.

“… Peter, you said you had a test today?” Stark broke the silence

“U-uh, Yeah!! I should get goi-“

“You’re not going anywhere. If that bastard hacked us, he might be monitoring us right now and I’m not taking my eyes off you. Just attend the makeup test. I’ll talk to your principal myself” he chewed on his lip in agitation. This was an order. He wasn’t planning on losing the kid again.

“O-ok, Mr. Stark…” the boy mumbled nervously

“Mr. Stark, I put FRIDAY back up” Vision informed monotonely as he stepped into the room “Seems to me that the hacker didn’t disrupt any of the database. No viruses, no malware, nothing”

“Then what did he want? Just to give us a scare?” Steve interjected

“No, Steve…” Natasha walked in holding a tablet “They stole copies of all folders available in the database that contained ‘Winter soldier’, ‘super soldier serum’ and ‘HYDRA experiments’. They’re fishing for info” the female explained as she placed the tablet down and leaned against the table.

Bucky stiffened… this is bad. This is definitely bad. The voices of his teammates drowned out as he chewed on his lip. This was definitely a trap. If he were to go he’ll probably be caught and God knows what might happen to him. Could it be HYDRA? Could it be someone worse than HYDRA…? He shook his head tiredly as he rubbed his eyes. A hand clamped his shoulder comfortingly. He didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“Don’t worry, Buck. We’ll figure it out” his best friend reassured with a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He was on edge just as Bucky was.

“Umm…. can I say something…?” The youngest avenger raised his hand, halting the debate as they stared at him patiently. He gulped nervously then cleared his throat

“Ok so get this. If they copied all info containing three keywords in such record time it only means that they have very high tech equipment and over the top skills to match that. That’s obvious. B-but you guys might’ve overlooked a fact…” he spoke quickly showing his nervousness

“Spit it out, kid” Nat interjected

“I’m getting there!! I swear!! Look. There’s this new method of hacking. It kinda fits the profile of this attack… it’s super efficient and easier to manage than the orthodox method. Even I used that method to hack into my old suit-“

“Seriously, kid?” Tony gave him the stink eye

“S-sorry…. anyway like I said I think the hacker used that method. And If Miss umm… Miss Romanoff hasn’t seen this before it just confirms my suspicion. Mainly the younger generation use this method. It became quite popular among us recently” he informed

“So you’re saying… we’re up against a kid…?” Sam droned slowly

“Y-yeah… it’s crazy!! I know!! But… let me check the files that were hacked. Maybe I can confirm my theory like that” he stated as he hesitantly reached out his hand for the tablet. The Black Widow eyed him for a bit then handed him the tablet and he went to work.

“Wow. So a kid. Can’t be a normal kid though….” Sam rubbed the back of his neck in confusion

“Normal kid?!! The kid must be a genius!!” Bruce exclaimed in agitated shock

“We still don’t know if it truly is a kid” Tony interrupted as he stole a glance at the teenager working vigorously.

“Mr. Stark, a Wakandan aircraft has landed in the hangar” FRIDAY informed having returned to her original form.

“Wakandan? Are we getting visitors?” Sam questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, Mr. Wilson. It appears to be king T’Challa and Princess Shuri. I’m guiding them towards this room” the A.I retorted

“Shuri’s here?!!” Peter dived into the conversation in excitement

“Yes, Peter, Shuri is here” the young female’s voice interjected wearing a wide smile. She chuckled as she walked towards Peter with her brother following closely behind her.

The two teenagers did an elaborate handshake, greeting each other and announcing their close bond to their spectators. T’Challa eyed the two warily as he shook his head

“Youngsters… Hello, Avengers” he nodded his head in greeting, noticing the tension in the room “Did something happen, Captain? White Wolf?” He obviously noted that Bucky was the one taken aback the most.

“The System was hacked by an unknown entity that Peter suspects to be a kid and that hacker left us a message saying ‘Come and get me, Soldier’. They stole all files related to Bucky and HYDRA experiments” Steve briefed

“A hacker?!! Really?!!” Shuri exclaimed as Peter explained his theory to her. She snatched the tablet from him and started digging through it herself

“If I’m right, we could be dealing with a boy genius” he exclaimed in excitement

“There’s a really slim chance that’s true, kid” Tony grumbled

“No it isn’t, Peter is right. The hacking pattern here is similar to the method he usually uses. He showed it to me before and I learned it” The young female explained with her eyes still glued to the tablet. “I see you also tracked them down?” She hummed as she displayed the location on a larger screen in the room using live satellite image.

It was a green forest area with no human inhabitants whatsoever “Hidden facility?” She questioned with a tilted head

“Were there any abandoned HYDRA facilities in this area before?” T’Challa questioned curiously

“Nothing registered with this location, no” the female spy informed. “But I can’t shake off this feeling that I’ve seen this area code somewhere….” she mumbled pensively as she stared at the Hexadecimal code labeling the location trying to magically decipher the meaning behind it… and then it hit her….

“…. that’s not an abandoned HYDRA facility… it’s an abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D facility…. FRIDAY bring me all data regarding abandoned facilities that belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D along the years” she ordered as she jumped back into work

“S.H.I.E.L.D has abandoned facilities? Since when?” Bucky asked, finally breaking his silence.

The A.I got a list of said locations and displayed them on the screen. And there it was. The same exact area code of the hacker’s location was slyly hidden in the middle of the list.

“There! I’m right!” The spy smirked triumphantly

“FRIDAY display all information available in S.H.I.E.L.D files concerning area 17A.16.BB.90.99” Tony ordered as he observed.

“This area was owned by S.H.I.E.L.D since it was formed. A claim was put up that the facility was contaminated by HYDRA assailants and was shut down in 1980. A year later it was taken into Howard Stark’s custody as a storage facility for his faulty equipment. It was left out of his will and left under the custody of an individual under the name A.S.B. after Mr. Howard’s death” FRIDAY reported the brief data available “There isn’t anymore information about this, Sir. That is all I have” she informed

“…. did you know about this, Tony?” Captain America questioned with a deep frown

“… I just found out that god damn place existed…. No. This situation is extremely fishy.”

“We need to reach Clint. He’s been in S.H.I.E.L.D the longest among us. Maybe he’ll know something” Natasha informed and the team agreed

“We need to go check out that area, though. We don’t know what could be lurking there… that A.S.B. could be our hacker or could know who our hacker is. We need to look into him too.” Sam concluded with a serious, alarmed tone.

***********

Shuri, Natasha, Vision and Peter were left in charge of looking for any information regarding the A.S.B. Individual. The rest of the team started formulating a stealth plan to break in. They found old blue prints of the facility’s infrastructure and they planned their break-in based on those. Bucky locked himself in his room, needing some time to clear his mind and calm down.

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” T’Challa asked Steve

“… I just hope so… he seems shaken up… whoever this is, they seem like they have a grudge against the Winter Soldier… but I’m not letting anyone harm him” he vowed unnervingly

“And we have your back, Captain” the king clamped his shoulder reassuringly

*********

The team boarded the quinjet and headed to the location by nightfall. The journey would take a couple of hours which meant they would get there by dawn

“Peter, Shuri, once we get there, you two are going to stay ON the quinjet with Bruce, Wanda and Vision. No buts. I don’t know what kind of psychopath we’re dealing with here and I’m not getting either of you involved, are we clear?” Tony scolded. The princess give him an ‘are you kidding me?’ Face before turning to her brother for back up

“Mr. Stark is right. Even if both of you are capable of fighting you don’t have to get involved anymore. You have done enough. We shall finish this. In case we do end up needing your help we will send for you.” He gave the two teenagers an encouraging smile but they grumbled in disapproval nonetheless

“Mr. Stark!! If we’re dealing with someone our age, I think Shuri and I are the most fit to negotiate with them!! I mean… you get me!!” Peter tried to nervously make a point

“Peter, No.” Tony finalized before disappearing into the cockpit.

***********

The quinjet landed in a forest clearing near a mountain on the outskirts of the area. They followed the coordinates till they reached an iron gate that leads to the facility, hidden deep in a cave at the mountain foot. They stealthily broke in. Taking careful steps, keeping their weapons on the ready for any unpleasant surprises. Steve and Bucky took the lead. T’Challa, Natasha and Clint taking the rear while Sam and Tony stayed right behind the two super soldiers.

The facility was dark and abnormally cold, as if no one had set foot in it for decades. Little bits of light trickled in through ceiling windows.

“Cap, There’s a really faint heat signal coming up ahead” Sam informed in a whisper, earning him a nod. It was getting darker and darker the more they mingled into the place’s depths. The silence was ominous… something was gonna happen…. and it did.

As soon as Bucky and Steve stepped into a new compartment in the facility, a gate automatically came tumbling down, separating them from the rest of the group

“STEVE!!” Sam’s voice was cut off as the gate settled in its place with a deafening thud.

Bucky gulped. This really was a set-up. He gave Steve a meaningful look as they stood back to back and continued heading towards the faint heat signal at the back of the room. There was a faint rhythmic beeping sound, blaring in the ominous silence. Suddenly, Steve stopped in his tracks, staring at a large cylindrical cubicle that was obviously occupied. He couldn’t make out what was inside, but the obvious beeping coming from the computer attached to it only indicated one thing.

“This is a cryo chamber” he announced to his companion who tensed. Bucky hesitantly started to look around. Taking careful steps away from the blonde.

Steve tried to read the name that was engraved at the foot of the tank but he wasn’t fast enough. He was attacked. A person landed on the Captain’s shoulders, clinging to him tightly. Steve was caught off guard but immediately composed himself and struggled. His attacker quickly stabbed him in the neck with a needle and moments later let go of him, disappearing back into the darkness. Bucky heard the commotion and was immediately stuck by his side

“Steve? What happened?”

“I got attacked! Stuck a needle in my neck” he rubbed the area that was hit.

“…. We need to leave. Now.” The brunet finalized. But then they were hit with another attack. This time directed at the soldier.

He landed on Bucky from above, stomping down and landing on his rifle, anchoring it to the ground. With his heavy enforced military boots, the attacker stomped again at the nozzle of the rifle, deforming it and deeming it unusable before jumping back and placing distance between him and Bucky. The brunet grumbled and threw the gun away before charging at the assailant. They started exchanging fists at an alarming rate. It surprised Bucky how his opponent was easily keeping up with him, blocking his punches expertly and landing a couple of his own. He grabbed onto Bucky’s right wrist twisting it as much as he could before he twisted his body behind Bucky, landing a kick to the back of his knees causing him to buckle and kneel down. He noticed something odd… this person’s hands were unusually small… The attacker used a stunt gun on the super soldier’s metal arm as a way of temporarily disabling it, earning an agitated growl from him. Bucky glared at the person in front of him, face hidden by the darkness

“Who are you and what the hell do you want?” He seethed angrily

“….. Oh I’ll tell you when all this is over…” the voice of a young man answered him as the attacker revealed a sample extraction tube, stuck it into Bucky’s flesh arm, taking a large sample of blood.

Suddenly, the gate was blasted off letting in some light as the rest of the team charged in, including the ones that were staying in the quinjet, lead by Wanda, Vision and Shuri. The commotion distracted Bucky enough time for the attacker to quickly let go and disappear into the darkness again. The team rushed to his side, Steve looking worried

“What happened?”

“He took a freaking blood sample… Fucking reveal yourself already!!” He shouted in anger and desperation.

The team huddled up as the sound of foot steps circled them in the dark. The person stopped right in front of them, partially revealed by the trickles of light seeping into the room

“…. I don’t mean you people harm… I already got what I wanted…” he announced in that same young voice. He held up the two sample cylinders filled with blood.

“Answer me!!! Who the hell are you?!!” Bucky was getting impatient. The rest of the team were on high alarm, all pointing their weapons towards the silhouette in front of them.

The attacker slowly stepped into the light. He slowly revealed himself. He was lean and muscular, but obviously still a teenager. He was the same height as Peter, wearing an outfit strikingly similar to the Winter Soldier’s attire. His lean left shoulder displayed an angry red star tattooed to his fair skin just like the one HYDRA placed on Bucky’s old metal arm. Bucky’s eyes landed on the young man’s face, the breath getting knocked out of him. Steve froze, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The boy was the spitting image of Bucky’s younger self. The same shaggy brown hair, the defined jaw even the same exact nose. It was almost like they were staring Bucky’s past self right in the face…. but that’s not quite true…. there’s a difference… his eyes were different… they were E/C…

Bucky shook his head in disbelief… oh no…. the boy spoke, confirming the dread in Bucky’s chest.

“…. it’s a pleasure to finally meet you… Dad…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don't repost without proper crediting.


	4. Chapter (3) - 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t know what I was doing while writing most of this chapter but it came out ok nonetheless. I’m satisfied and I’m happy with how I portrayed my OC. 😌 He’s such a babe. Anyway I’ve decided the reader is gonna be half German so please bear with that and P.S. Alajos is pronounced as A-la-yosh. Enjoy~ ♥️

_Bucky shook his head in disbelief… oh no…. the boy spoke, confirming the dread in Bucky’s chest._

_“…. it’s a pleasure to finally meet you… Dad…”_

Time stood still, air stale with tension. It was a long moment with Bucky staring at the boy in utter shock. That piercing E/C gaze stared right through his soul. He couldn’t take his eyes off. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest. He knew those eyes from somewhere… images flashed in his head again but he couldn’t focus. His mind was centered on the nagging questions. His son…? He had a son…? Well there was no denying how much the boy resembled him… but who was the mother? Better yet, where is she? The boy just stared him down unnervingly, putting Bucky more and more on edge. The moment was thankfully broken by Sam’s booming voice

“Seriously…? So you’re Barnes’ son? Like are we 100% sure about that? I’m well aware the physical resemblance is uncanny, but still” he voiced out in confusion waiting for a reply

“I’m pretty sure if I compare the DNA sample in here with my DNA, it’ll be a solid match. Not that I need the confirmation….” his voice trailed off as he waved the sample cylinder containing Bucky’s blood at them. “I know who my dad is because my mom told me.“ he informed with a dismissive wave

“OH MY GOD!! YOU’RE THE WINTER SOLDIER’S SON!!!” Peter exclaimed with an excited squeal “AND you’re the same age as me!!! See, Mr. Stark!! I was right!! You should’ve let us come along from the beginning we could’ve convinced him to cooperate” the masked boy declared triumphantly.

“Oh? You proposed that? When do adults ever listen, man?” the boy chuckled with an eye roll, sassing the adults

“Peter, we already went over this and now’s really not the time” Tony glared at both teenaged boys “so, kid…. plan on telling us your name and your true goal?”

“Like I said I already got what I wanted… you’re free to leave and act like I don’t exist. Doesn’t make much difference” the boy shrugged with a neutral expression

“But at least I’ll give you this. My name’s Alajos” he answered with a challenging glint in his eyes

“How are you related to my dad and who is this A.S.B individual? Do you work for them?” Tony immediately jumped into the interrogation

“I don’t owe you any answers, Stark, so don’t use that tone with me” Alajos sassed disrespectfully. Peter nudged Shuri and they exchanged silent conversation as they decided to jump in before things get too heated

“Kid, I’m older than you, shouldn’t you be respecting that-?”

“I don’t show respect to anyone until they earn it” the boy seethed

“Umm… ok, guys!! Let’s calm down…” Peter nervously stood between the two then turned to the younger male

“Look, man… we just want some answers… I mean you got really offensive with us, ya know” he tried to reason

“You did hack into the Avengers’ compound system, stole unauthorized files and then attacked us.” Shuri counted in her fingers trying to help win the argument

“Y-yeah!! Exactly!! You owe us at least some answers…”

“….. now that’s more convincing…. you two get major extra points for that… ask away” the brunet flashed them a welcoming smile

“R-really?!! Ok!! Who’s this A.S.B. Person? Is it even a person?”

“It’s the initials of a name. A person’s name. It stands for Alajos Steven Barnes. It’s my name”

“Your Name?!! Wait so you’re saying that Howard Stark left this facility under your name?!!” Shuri interjected

“Well duh, I’ve been living here since it got emptied out. Using it as a storage unit was just a facade to keep everyone out of our lives.”

“Living here since it was emptied out? That’s impossible. You’re obviously just a kid and this was emptied back in 1980. And what do you mean by ‘our’?” Natasha narrowed her eyes at him

“…. well, Ms Romanoff… appearances can be quite deceiving… I’m not a ‘kid’..” he did some air quotations to emphasize his point “and by our I mean my mom and I. She’s the one who raised me and kept me hidden along the years… imagine how HYDRA would’ve reacted if they found out their beloved winter soldier had a kid..” he let out a humorless laugh while shaking his head.

“… where is your mom…? I need to see her…” Bucky spoke up with a strained voice

“…. she’s currently unavailable right now…. if you’re done with the silly interrogation, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave. I have work to do” he informed hinting at the blood samples.

“I’m afraid we’re not going anywhere till we get proper answers… and by proper I mean satisfactory…” Steve spoke with unwavering seriousness

“…. Captain America finally speaks…” the boy chuckled while shaking his head “ya know, my mom gave me my middle name to honor you… she said she named me after the two men important to her and my dad. Steve Rogers, you, and Alajos Y/L/N, my mom’s older brother. She made it a point to act like Dad was actively there during my childhood. She always painted him as the hero, Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes…” he retold with a nostalgic smile before shaking his head again.

“…. I’ll answer all your questions… I don’t go back on my words. Just make it one question at a time…” he grumbled

“How old are you…?” Shuri stepped in and asked

“…. cutting right to the chase… nice, I like that” he winked at her then answered “I was born 26th of July 1967… which makes me 51 this year. Like I said, appearances can be quite deceiving” he wiggled his eyebrows at her as he tapped back into his cheeky persona

“51?!! You don’t look 51!!”

“I’m a mutant. A shapeshifter. I can change my physical appearance however I like… I use this form for stealth. Very efficient. Keeps me quick on my feet and light on my steps. None of you noticed me till I allowed you to. So yeah” he shrugged putting up a victory sign

“Can we see your true form?!!” Peter interjected with excitement “oh!! I’m Peter by the way. I go by Spider-Man. And this is Shuri” The young boy introduce as he deactivated the nanotech mask revealing his face

“Hey, Pete!! Hi, Shuri!! Pleased to meet both of you!! I’ll consider the two of you my new friends. The rest of the pack is unpleasant” he stuck his tongue out playfully earning him a laugh from the two teenagers “As for my true form… I use that when I’m in dire need of brute force… but sure I can show you” he stuck the two samples into a compartment at the back of his belt then closed his eyes.

His weight started shifting. His height started increasing. The sounds of bones shifting and cracking increased as his muscle mass became more prominent. His hair grew longer till it reached the base of his neck. His facial features aged drastically as he settled back into his original skin. He opened his eyes again. Their color hasn’t changed. Now he undoubtedly looked like Bucky.

“What do you think? Cool, huh?” Alajos smiled widely, his voice having grown thicker and more masculine

“Woah!!! Woah!! You really do look like Mr. Barnes!!”

“A younger version of White Wolf… yeah!!” Shuri’s curious smile widened

“White Wolf? Is that what they call you these days, Dad?” He chuckled a little then stretched

“So, What is your goal with all this?” T’Challa questioned carefully

“….. my goal…. I only wanted to get samples of super soldiers’ blood. As for the hacking, I needed to know everything you had over the super soldier serum since I’m recreating it”

“Recreating it?!! Who gave you the right to?!!” Tony verbally attacked

“I’m not answering you, Stark, till you drop the attitude” He snarled defensively

“Tony, please…” Steve tried to calm down his teammate

“…. Alajos… did I pronounce it right…?” Bucky questioned carefully as he took a couple of hesitant steps towards his son

“…… yeah… you did… I bet you have the most questions, Dad… are you ok with me calling you Dad?” He questioned nervously

“n-no!! I mean… I don’t mind… and yeah I have questions….”

“Go on… I’ll answer them”

“… why are you recreating the super soldier serum…? And why didn’t you reveal yourself sooner…?”

“……. My mom…. she’s… deteriorating… I have to save her… only way to save her is by remaking the super soldier serum… she’s enhanced too… but let’s say she’s a faulty super soldier experiment… as for why I didn’t reveal myself to you… look, Dad, you’re still regaining yourself. HYDRA messed you up pretty bad… the last time you saw my mom you tried to kill her…. I wasn’t prepared to be rejected by you like you rejected her so I waited… I waited till I was sure I could reason with you properly… so here we are…” he spoke with a broken tone

“…Your mother…. I can’t…”

“You can’t remember her… I know… I figured as much… it doesn’t matter…” he shook his head mournfully

“I want to see her…”

“… she’s in cryo, Dad… it’s useless… she’s been in cryo for over 15 years…” he Informed as he stared distantly at the cryo chamber Steve had inspected earlier. He took slow steps towards it then clapped his hands, turning on the lights revealing the geography of the room. It was obviously highly innovated. Everything made of glistening metal. There was railing stuck on the walls, probably where the young male resided before initializing his attack on the super soldier. The glass of cryo chamber was fogged up. S/C and black were the only prominent colors in the tank. Alajos wiped the front of the glass to help reveal a little of the details inside.

A pair of strong large black wings were protectively wrapped around the body inside. The body was in fetal position, tucked carefully in the wings. It was scrawny, obviously belonging to a bedridden woman. Bucky took hesitant steps towards the tank. His eyes widening sadly. Her skin was paler then normal… even under the effects of cryostasis … his heart ached as he gently placed his hand on the glass trying to reach out to her… to touch her…. he knew her… his eyes drifted down to the engraving at the foot of the chamber and he ran his fingers across the letters

“ **CODE NAME: LUCIFER, S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Y/N Y/L/N** ”

The name rang alarm bells in his head as suppressed memories fought to resurface.  _Those same E/C eyes… staring widely at him._ The same eyes that plagued his foggy memories till this day…  _He was looking up at her. He felt her delicate fingertips running through his hair soothingly scratching his scalp. She carried this love in her irises that he’s never seen directed at him before_

_“о чем ты думаешь, Солдат?”_

_“…. твои глаза…”_

_“…. что насчет них?”_

_“… они захватывают дух.”_

_“…. you’re such a flirt…” she chuckled shaking her head at him in disbelief. The sound was music to his ears… this woman was doing things to him he couldn’t control…_ the foggy memory abruptly stopped as he regained his bearings

“….. Y/M/N…?” He questioned with a chocked voice…. it can’t be her….

“…so you remembered her..? Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N… she’s my mother…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> • о чем ты думаешь, Солдат? = what are you thinking of, Soldier?  
> • твои глаза = your eyes  
> • что насчет них? = What about them?  
> • они захватывают дух = they’re breathtaking  
> • Y/M/N = Your Middle Name  
> • S/C = your Skin Color
> 
> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don't repost without proper crediting.


	5. Chapter (4) - 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter I know!! But it’s on purpose. The upcoming chapter is gonna be one of the common background chapters (marked with a star) that’s why it had to be separated from this one. I promise to make it a little longer to make it up XD I also wanna thank Em for being the best beta ever and helping me through the small writer’s block I had with this chapter. She helped me sort out my ideas and assured me that I’m doing ok and for that I’m grateful ♥️ The soundtrack that could go well with this chapter is Home by Bebe Rexha, Machine Gun Kelly and X Ambassadors so try that out. Enjoy~
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of PTSD, depression and relapsing.

_The foggy memory abruptly stopped as he regained his bearings_

_“….. Y/M/N…?” He questioned with a chocked voice…. it can’t be her…._

_“… so you remembered her….? Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N… she’s my mother…”_

No no no…. it can’t be her… Bucky shook his head in disbelief as he took hesitant steps back to properly look at the scene in front of him. She was frozen… with her wings wrapped around her…. She had wings… they have a son… Bucky’s breathing started getting shallow as more and more suppressed memories resurfaced. They were still images. Cut off from the full memory. Like an old movie with burnt out parts. His vision started getting blurry and he looked down at his hands. His right arm was shaking faintly, droplets of water falling into his clothed palms, wetting his leather fingerless gloves. He covered his tearing eyes with his hands, desperately trying to regain his composure but failing. A hand clamped on his shoulder supportively

“Buck…? You need a minute…?” Steve’s sorrowful voice reached his ears. Bucky wiped his eyes then looked up at his companion with a pained, wide gaze. He shifted his gaze from the blond to the team of onlookers staring at him worriedly. He shifted his gaze back to Steve and nodded

“….. Stay… tell them to go…” his voice was barely above a whisper. He couldn’t trust his voice not to break in front of anyone. Steve nodded in acknowledgment then walked over to the Avengers, pleading they wait for the two in the quinjet till they sort this out. Bucky kept his gaze fixated on the rhythmic heartbeat lines on the screen near the tank. They were faint. Like she was slipping away… she slipped through his fingers once… he wasn’t ready for it to happen twice…

The sounds of his teammates drowned out as they argued with Steve. They were reluctant, afraid Bucky would relapse… but what they didn’t know is that remembering this wouldn’t make him relapse into PTSD, it would make him relapse into guilt. Guilt because he left them, his son and the woman who gave birth to his son, the first woman to gaze into the Winter Soldier’s eyes with unconditional love, he left them to struggle through the unfairness of life unprotected. The room slowly cleared out, leaving Bucky, Steve and Alajos to sort through this mess.

“…. So? Would you two like to relocate to a proper room so we can talk…?” The younger of the three suggested as if nothing had happened. He turned around and started walking, expecting them to follow. Steve gently tore Bucky away from the cryo tank and pulled him along to follow the young man. They followed him through a secret door behind the tank that lead to a hidden room under this compartment of the facility.

The room had a homey feel. It wasn’t exactly a room but more of a small living space. A small kitchen, a couch, two beds and a desk. Tons of books were stacked up by the wall behind the coach, stretching all the way to the kitchenette. The boy sat down on one of the beds, facing the couch as the two super soldiers settled on it. The three remained silent for a while before Steve spoke up

“So, Alajos… you’ve been living here for what…? 30 years?”

“38 actually… before that we used to move around a lot… we had to stay hidden… we were on both HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D’s radars…” he scratched the back of his neck before noticing Bucky’s gaze fixated on the wall behind him. He followed his father’s gaze as it landed on a portrait covered with a piece of maroon velvet fabric, hung on the wall next to the other bed. He looked back at Bucky, his father was asking him a silent question

“…. You’d like to see that…?”

“…. yes… please…”

“… sure, Dad” the boy gave him a faint smile before getting up and slowly pulling the cloth off the portrait, revealing it to Bucky and Steve’s eyes.

It was a portrait of a woman with beautiful H/C hair that reached her H/L. She was wearing a beautiful navy lace dress that complimented her skin and heightened her beauty. Her lips were tinted with red, forming a faint smile as those same eyes from Bucky’s memories stared lovingly at the spectators. The oil painted masterpiece squeezed at Bucky’s heart painfully

“…. is that her…? Your mother…? you drew this, didn’t you?” Steve questioned with a dazed tone as he appreciated the work of art, running his eyes along the intricate details.

“Y/M/N….” Bucky mumbled to himself in defeat

“… yeah… it’s kind of inaccurate since I drew it from memory… 15 years is a long time to spend alone… I taught myself how to paint from books…” he explained eyeing the heap of books framing every corner of the room

“… it’s beautiful… she’s beautiful… you’re talented, kid” Steve gave him an encouraging smile which earned him a shy smile from the boy.

“I have a sketchbook, if you’d like to see” he rushed to the desk and retrieved a notebook and a hairband. He handed the leather-bound journal to Steve then tied his hair into a small high ponytail. The blond leafed through the small pencil sketches and oil paint tests in the journal wearing a faint smile

“So!! Back to you two!! I’m sure you still have questions, I’m here to answer” the boy clapped his hands as he sat back down. Steve got alarmed as he closed the journal and straightened in his seat, giving Bucky a worried side glance as the brunet was obviously still quite shaken.

“……. Alajos… I wanna know everything… tell me how you two got here…. tell me about your lives… how did you manage…?” Bucky questioned in frustration

“…. alright… how about this… I’ll tell you my mom’s story from the very beginning… and everything will connect eventually…. but it’s a really long story…”

“And we’ve got all the time in the world to hear” Steve concluded with an air of authority.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> • H/C = Hair Color  
> • H/L = Hair Length  
> • Y/M/N = Your Middle Name
> 
> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don't repost without proper crediting.


	6. Chapter (5) - ★

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.
> 
> (2) After Thanos wiped out half the universe, a new face crosses Steve’s path asking to join the fight. Y/N declares herself to him asking for a chance at vengeance. Thanos took everything from her. Both Bucky and her bundle of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised I delivered a long chapter!! The soundtrack that could go well with this chapter is Home by Bebe Rexha, Machine Gun Kelly and X Ambassadors. Anyway, here’s a couple of good pointers to help through the chapter. The reader’s siblings are called Andrea Michaela Y/L/N and Iris Dorothea Y/L/N and as I said before they’re half German. Michaela is pronounced as Mi-SHA-ella and here’s a link of how to better pronounce it < https://www.howtopronounce.com/german/michaela/ >. Dorothea is pronounced as Doro-teh-yah. Alajos here speaks exclusively heavy-German-accented English so also keep that in mind. I loved writing this chapter and this is only just the begging of a loooooong grueling ride, so ladies and gents, fasten your seat belts >:3 Enjoy the chapter ♥️
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of war, estrangement, and life threatening accident.

_October, 1943_

The sound of water resounded through the small area that barely resembled a bathroom. The tab was turned off as a person proceeded to wash their face using the water they’d filled the basin with. It was a young girl, about 16-17 years old. She rubbed her face with the water then looked up at the old mirror with the cloudy frame. She stared right into the reflection in front of her. E/C eyes, S/C skin, H/C short messy hair. She looked more like a boy than a girl wearing those worn out hand-me downs. A beige tank top that had multiple holes rimming it and a pair of black pants that were filthy with dust and stains … her eyes trailed down her frame to her growing bosom, eyeing it wryly…. she needs to hide that….

She looked behind her and retrieved the rag she used to strap her breasts then pulled her green linen shirt that was a size too big over her head. She took a deep breath, eyeing herself again in the mirror with a small frown before leaving the small bathroom.

She walked into the small apartment that was given to her family of refugees when they fled to the US. It had two small rooms, a small bathroom and a small kitchen. Enough space to house the four of them. It was another blessing to her. At least they had a roof over their heads again. She strode with her bare feet to the kitchen where a young man, barely 23 years old, stood peeling some potatoes. He was humming a small tune from that same song he sang her everyday to sleep to help her momentarily forget her terrors. Her eyes trailed down his scrawny frame. He was losing weight again… his shoulder blades were visible through the tank top he was wearing, one similar to hers. An ugly scar went down from his right shoulder down to his fingers. He noticed he was being watched and slowly turned around to face his new company

“… Guten Morgen, Y/M/N…” his gentle voice was laced in utter adoration as he gave her his brightest smile. He was paler then usual, dark circles rimming his beautiful E/C eyes. He was obviously withering away

“.. Guten Morgen, Alajos..” the girl replied with a faint sad smile of her own

“Heading to work soon?” He questioned her with a thick German accent. As he turned back to the counter to place down the knife and the potato. He picked up a couple of plates and slowly limped towards the small table sitting in the middle of the kitchen. He placed down the plates and looked up to her invitingly

“Come on, eat… bread with cheese… you need the energy..” he limped towards her

“…. Alajos… are you feeling ok…?” She hesitantly questioned with her voice laced in worry

“…. I am fine… I promise you..” he patted her cheek lovingly as he towered over her weakly. He kissed her forehead then limped towards the rooms “Dorothea!! Michaela!! Breakfast is ready!!” He called out to the other two occupants of the small living space.

The girl heaved a small unconvinced sigh as she sat down, a frown etched to her forehead. The pitter patter sound of small feet rang in the small apartment as a small girl jumped into the arms of the young man. She was barely 6 years old. He clung to her happily as they chuckled lovingly at each other

“Morgen, Alajos!!”

“Morgen, Dorothea!!” They greeted each other as he kept her in his arms and slowly limped to sit down on a chair by the table, letting his injured leg stretch on a small wooden stool beside him. He let the small girl sit on his lap as he fed her and exchanged excited kiddie banter with her. Y/M/N stared at them lovingly before noticing their fourth companion had finally made an appearance. She turned towards the third female in the room.

She was the spitting image of her. Same height, same body, same facial features, but her hair was tucked neatly in a braid and she was wearing a dress and an apron. The girl was staring hatefully at her identical counterpart, Y/M/N

“Andrea…” the Tom boyish female started but was quickly caught off

“Don’t talk with me!!”

“Michaela!! Don’t speak to your sister like that!!” The male scolded with a warning glare, earning him a rebellious eye roll from the female

“You two are supposed to be twins…. at least try to get along, please…” he pointed out with an agitated frown. Andrea huffed in annoyance as she walked to the makeshift cooler in the room and got out a milk carton, pouring some in a cup then handing it to the youngest at the table, who took it in excitement and started sipping on it. She smiled at her younger sister then sat down across from her twin and started eating her sandwich. They ate silently, a cloud of tension settling over the table. Suddenly, Andrea looked up and stared at her brother for a while before speaking up

“Alajos, why do you still call us with our middle names…? It feels weird” she protested stubbornly

“…. Michaela… names were made to be used and loved… if the entire world is to use your first names, then I exist to use and love your middle names… you don’t have to do the same. This is a personal freedom that I like to exploit.” he gave her a loving chuckle. Andrea bit her lip, sending a quick glare towards her twin before quickly finishing her food and leaving the room. Alajos followed her with his gaze before turning to the silent female and heaving a sigh

“Y/M/N… you know your sister can be difficult… but I am sure she still loves you..”

“…. yeah… I know…” she gave him a quick smile before patting the little girl’s head

“Iris, behave and don’t cause your big brother trouble” she scolded lightly

“I will!! Iris is a good girl!! Take care at work!!” She waved excitedly as she chewed on her small piece of bread.

The older female smiled gently before getting her oversized worn out black coat and grey newsboy cap from the slightly broken coat hanger by the front door. She quickly slipped her feet into her older brother’s old shoes before she turned around and eyed the small apartment one more time before heading out into the hustle and bustle of New York City. It was a normal autumn morning, the busy city brimming with life. The girl carried herself around with a hurried step, careful not to bump into anyone as she weaved her way towards her meeting point with her superior. She finally reached the designated intersection and saw the stunning brunette

“Good Morning, Ms Peggy!!”

“Good Morning, Alex! Ready for work?” She questioned with her signature smile as they crossed the street together and headed to the hidden facility they both worked in.

“Yeah!! I am…” she trailed off while staring at the ground

“… is something wrong?”

“… it’s my brother… he’s… he’s not looking too good…”

“Sweetheart, don’t worry too much… I’ll come for a visit with a doctor later to check up on him for you… ok?” She patted Y/M/N’s head reassuringly as they walked into the shop then headed to the back after reciting the password. Once they reached a changing room, Peggy stopped walking and turned to the girl

“Y/N… don’t worry too much… and don’t get yourself in trouble… that hidden identity of yours is enough trouble as is…” she gave her a pointed look “I do understand your need for money and that girls your age don’t get chances for high paid jobs these days but you have to take care… this secret will be out sooner or later… so be careful” she placed a worried hand on the younger girl’s shoulder who returned it with a brave smile

“I know. I need to go clock in my arrival… see ya, Ms Peggy!!” She nodded respectfully then headed into the changing room to inform her boss of her arrival.

He was an old man with a growing beard and wrinkly skin, strict but quite understanding

“Alex!! Where were you, boy?!! You were almost late!!”

“I’m sorry, sir!! Ms Carter was asking something of me…” she trailed off as she took off her cap and her coat, placing them inside a worn out cabin, taking out a bucket and a mop from it then heading towards her boss

“You’re in charge of cleaning the men’s bathroom today, so go on!!” The old man dismissed and the female winced a little. She couldn’t refuse of course, how can she when her job was that of a cleaner. She headed straight for the men’s room without one word of disapproval. She heaved a sigh then started with her work. She worked hard at cleaning, scrubbing and mopping the room.

A couple of soldiers walked in chatting as they went about their business. She avoided looking at them, keeping up her act as a boy while she scrubbed at a particularly dirty tile. She looked up and noticed one of the cabinets’ doors was hanging on a broken hinge. She heaved a small sigh then left the room, returning a while later with a carpenter’s kit. She worked her way at replacing the broken hinge diligently.

***********

The rest of the day was quite uneventful. The girl reminisced about her life as she went about scrubbing the toilets. She was half German, having fled her mother land with her siblings when the war started. They lost their parents so her older brother took it upon himself to provide for the family, working for a chemicals factory. That was until he got into a horrible accident that left him with the ugly scar and a disabled leg. Now he had to work as a tailor in a shop across the street from their home. Y/N was the second oldest in the family so she took it upon herself to help him provide the household. She hid her femininity and went out as a boy named Alex. Alajos once told her that if she were a boy, her parents would’ve named her Alexander and that’s the name she chose for her current identity. She roamed around the city looking for jobs at bars, shops and whatnot, getting kicked out by each and every one of them. Her last option was a small bar that threw her out into the street late at night. And that’s when she stumbled upon Peggy.

Peggy was her savior. She was her angel sent from heaven. She helped her up and heard her out. She took her in and helped her look for a job. In the end, she found the cleaning job at this military facility for her and she accepted without a moment’s hesitation. And that’s how we got here. The pay was good and it helped get the necessities, supporting Alajos’s pay and even allowing Iris to attend a local school. Y/N was happy with the help she was providing her brother. He had a lot on his plate he wouldn’t tell anyone about but she knew. She worked her ass off from morning to evening everyday, scrubbing and cleaning. But she was still satisfied.

After finally finishing with the bathroom, Y/N left it feeling sweaty and stinky. She wiped her face with the back of her hand as she walked, bucket in hand and head lowered, through the hallway. Suddenly, she face planted square into someone’s muscular chest. She fell to the ground due to the force of her impact, dropping the bucket and rubbing her nose “I’m so sorry!!” She exclaimed apologetically as she squirmed to pick up her fallen utensils

“Are you ok, kid…?” The velvety voice of a strong man caught her ear as she finally looked up, her gaze locking with the blue eyes of Captain America. She gasped in surprise as he offered her a hand and helped her up “Sorry about that, I kinda wasn’t looking as well” he gave her a gentle smile

“N-not At all!!! Captain America, Sir!!”

“You seem to be working hard… good job!!” He patted her shoulder then gave her an encouraging nod before turning to leave. Her cheeks were flushed… Captain America just acknowledged her!! She smiled widely at herself then headed to the changing room to get her belongings.

**********

“I’m home!!” The female announced as she walked into the apartment… it was unusually quite… she got alarmed

“Alajos…? Andrea…? Iris…?” She called out as she carefully checked every room… the place was empty…

The door to the apartment suddenly opened, and came Peggy’s voice “Y/N!! Sweetie, are you here?!” Her heels banged on the floor as she reached the kitchen where the younger female stood. There was a panicked look on her face, settling a lump of dread in Y/N’s gut

“Sweetie… We took Alajos to the hospital…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> • Guten Morgen = Good Morning  
> • H/C = Hair Color  
> • S/C = Skin Color  
> • E/C = Eye Color  
> • Y/M/N = Your Middle Name
> 
> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don't repost without proper crediting.


	7. Chapter (6) - ★

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.
> 
> (2) After Thanos wiped out half the universe, a new face crosses Steve’s path asking to join the fight. Y/N declares herself to him asking for a chance at vengeance. Thanos took everything from her. Both Bucky and her bundle of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 4th Of July to all my American friends out there!!! 🇺🇸🎉💥 I hope you guys have a great weekend!! This chapter is really long and full of plot and I was planning on making it longer but I changed my mind last minute XD This chapter is extremely angsty, I even cried. I kid you not I cried while writing and again while I was rereading to check for mistakes. Forgive me for that guys 💔 :”) Starting this chapter is the 180 degrees change in the Reader’s life so buckle up your seatbelts cuz the ride has just started and it’s about to get bumpy!! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!! ♥️
> 
> Warnings: Death.

_The door to the apartment suddenly opened, and came Peggy’s voice “Y/N!! Sweetie, are you here?!” Her heels banged on the floor as she reached the kitchen where the younger female stood. There was a panicked look on her face, settling a lump of dread in Y/N’s gut_

_“Sweetie… We took Alajos to the hospital…”_

Y/N rushed with Peggy to the nearby hospital. Apparently, Alajos had gotten off work early due to feeling fatigued and had collapsed as soon as he got home. The brunette went to check on him and found him unconscious and running a fever on the kitchen floor. She took him to the hospital then went to get Andrea from her job in a cafe nearby. They fetched Iris from school and went back to the hospital before Peggy went back to check if the last of the siblings had reached home. Y/N’s heart was constricting harshly in her chest… they weren’t prepared to lose Alajos… but they don’t have the money to save him. It was like the world has gotten dark and suffocating all of a sudden. She was shaking slightly and Peggy noticed, trying to reassure her with a small pat on the shoulder.

They reached the hospital ward that had the male and multiple other patients in it. He was coughing severely as the doctor checked his blood pressure. Andrea and Iris stood next to the bed peering worriedly at their guardian. The doctor noticed Peggy’s arrival and got up to talk to her privately. Y/N walked towards her brother who gave her a weak smile

“How was your day, Y/M/N…?” He asked in a scratchy weak voice

“How was my day? You’re really asking how was my day? Alajos, I asked you this morning if you weren’t feeling well and you lied… what were you thinking….?” Tears were rimming her eyes, she wanted to stay strong, at least in front of Iris and Andrea. The male heaved a small sigh that lead to a labored cough before he turned to the twin

“… Michaela… take Dorothea home…”

“But, Alajos-!!”

“No buts… please….” he gave her a pleading look and she immediately dropped the argument. She nodded and pulled the little one along, glaring daggers at her twin before leaving.

Y/N sat at the edge of the bed as the doctor approached them with Peggy.

“Ms. Y/L/N, can I talk to you privately-?”

“Doctor, I’d like to hear about this too, if you’d be so kind” Alajos interjected with a faint smile. The doctor hesitated then nodded

“I’m afraid your lungs are failing, Sir… I’m afraid you might be a late case of chemical pneumonia… considering your history in the factory and the symptoms you’re showing, I’m afraid… you don’t have much longer to live if you don’t get proper treatment…”

“…. I see… thank you, Doctor…” the young man concluded with the smile still etched onto his lips. The doctor excused himself and Peggy gave him a sad look

“Ms Carter… if you don’t mind, I need a private moment with my sister….” Peggy nodded in response and slowly headed out the ward. Sobs started ripping out of Y/N’s throat as she helplessly stared at her withering brother. He gently pulled her towards him and rested her head on his shoulder lovingly as he ran his fingers through her short messy hair soothingly

“Y/M/N…. You’re a strong girl…. I know you are… you can take care of your sisters… they don’t need me as much as they need you”

“But I need you!!! I need you to ground me when things get tough!! Alajos please!!” She pleaded as the sobs left her lips

“No. I already made up my mind. I’m too far gone…. I didn’t want to tell you this morning but I’ve known for a while… this isn’t the first time I pass out like this… we don’t have the luxury to pay for treatment… please” he rubbed her back trying to calm her down

“Then I’ll work more!! I’ll work on weekends!! I’ll work at night!! I’ll do anything!!”

“Y/M/N…. Schatzi…. Don’t push yourself… you’re working hard enough… My current state… it’s not your fault… you have to know that everything that has a beginning must have and end… and mine is near…. we’ll push through together till the last moment… but promise me you’ll take care of your sisters for me… I know you will…. but promise me…” he lifted her head to look up at him and she nodded with another broken sob

“I promise I’ll take care of them… just don’t leave me…”

“I will never leave you… I’ll always be… here…” he pointed at her heart and gave her the widest smile he could muster in his state. It broke her heart more but she nodded. He was too stubborn to argue with right now. She wiped her tears and stood up

“I’ll go make Andrea and Iris dinner… I’ll be back later”

He shook his head “Sleep and come back tomorrow… you have work, don’t you…? Don’t worry about me… Gute Nacht” he finalized gently

“….. Gute Nacht…” her shoulders slumped as she walked away, stealing glances back at him every couple of steps as if he was going to disappear at any moment. She left the ward and found Peggy waiting for her wearing a solemn look

“Y/N, honey… I’m so sorry…”

“It’s not your fault, Ms Peggy… you helped us enough… it can’t be helped…” she sniffled holding back more tears

“…. I’ll pay for his treatment”

“Ms Peggy, no… I can’t repay you enough for the kindness you’ve shown us all this time… please, it’s enough…” she shook her head “I can’t ask this of you”

“You’re not asking, I’m offering. He’s your brother. I know you still need him even if he thinks otherwise… I’ll help you with as much money as I can… you deserve this much… I haven’t done anything worth repaying till now… if you’re worried about the money, you can repay along the years after you land a proper job… even repaying the money is unnecessary, saving your brother is more important right now, so at least let me help….” she reasoned gently

Y/N’s walls crashed down as she nodded and tackled the older woman with a hug, sobbing gently into her chest. Peggy tightened her arms around the smaller frame of Y/N as she coaxed her into calming down.

**********

A couple of months had passed since then and Alajos was ordered to stop working and stay home. His health wasn’t getting anywhere but at least he was stable for now. Both Y/N and Andrea were working harder and harder to support. Peggy paid for the medication behind the male’s back but he knew. He kept his mouth shut, not wanting to cause the girls anymore trouble and gladly accepted the new blessing. He sat one Sunday afternoon in the kitchen with a newspaper in his hand while Y/N prepared dinner. The faint sound of Iris practicing the alphabet with Andrea could be heard from their room.

“….. The news says Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes has died in a mission… they say he was Captain America’s childhood friend…” he voiced out knowing fully well the young girl loved hearing anything regarding the super soldier and his posse. He coughed into his hand, trying his best not to make it too loud so the little one wouldn’t hear him.

Y/N placed down the ladle as she walked towards her brother to look at the newspaper. She looked at the image of the man that was known to Steve Rogers as Bucky. She couldn’t read the words. She could barely read anything but she was working on learning how to read from Peggy who told her she needed to at least know that if she wanted to land a better job. Alajos heaved a small sigh and continued reading for her

“Apparently he fell off a train passing over a canyon…. poor man. At least he died a hero…” his voice trailed off as his eyes shifted to another article.

The female’s eyes fixated on the image in front of her…. she sympathized with his family… she was sure they must’ve loved him…. she shook her head solemnly, giving her brother a sad glance as he started coughing again. She heaved a sigh then went back to preparing their dinner.

**********

Peggy stood by the intersection, waiting for Y/N as usual. It had almost been eight months since Alajos had stopped working and stayed at home. Y/N was working harder and harder each day, working herself to the bone so she can support her family, but even that proved to be not enough. Peggy looked to her left and to her right but didn’t catch a glimpse of the familiar newsboy cap that always weaved its way towards her. She had a bad feeling about this as she heaved a sigh and made her way towards her job.

She reached the facility and headed immediately towards the changing room and walked in. She walked straight to the old man who was rummaging through the supply cabinet

“Good Morning, Mr. Garret… have you seen Alex this morning?” She questioned the young female’s boss

“Ms Carter!! Good morning to you!! Oh!! That boy Alex came here at five in the morning just as I had arrived and told me he had some family matters to attend to and couldn’t work today…. he asked if I can change his shift to the evening one and I told him sure… he wouldn’t tell me what happened but the boy looked so pale… like he’d seen a ghost… I’m worried about him” the old man informed with a worried frown on his wrinkly face. Peggy nodded in return and thanked him then headed out.

Her fast paced steps clanged along the concrete as she walked back out into the streets of New York. It was as if she was walking on autopilot, her feet taking her to the apartment building the Y/L/Ns stayed at. She went up to the apartment, with every step she took towards the apartment’s door, the wails of a crying girl could be heard… the dread settled in her chest as she knocked the door. She kept knocking for a while until the door was finally answered by Y/N.

She was wearing her usual attire that was unusually covered in dirt. It was as if she’d spent the entire night dusting an abandoned house. Her skin was extremely pale and she had heavy bags under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept in days. Peggy’s frown deepened.

“Y/N…? What’s wrong, sweetie…?” The younger girl took a shaky breath

“….. Andrea woke me up at 4… She told me Alajos wanted to see me…” she was obviously having a hard time keeping it together. The knot in Peggy’s throat tightened… this wasn’t going to be good…

“… I went to his room… Andrea was staying with him while I was staying with Iris… I walked to him and I called his name…. he didn’t answer me… he….” she abruptly stopped as she wiped a couple of tears that had strayed down her cheeks, her voice was extremely shaky

“…. He’s… he’s dead… he died before I answered his call… Even though he was looking better the past couple of days….” her voice cracked as she gave Peggy a broken smile that immediately dropped.

“….. I buried him in the local cemetery without a grave marker…. we can’t afford one… Iris hasn’t stopped crying… I don’t know what to do…” a sob tore through her throat as the older female’s tears streamed down her face as she pulled the girl into a tight hug. It felt like that day, the sun never truly shone on this house….

*********

“We can’t drop Iris out of school, Andrea!!”

“Are you crazy?!! We barely have enough money to cover her tuition now!! She needs food more than she needs school, Y/N!!”

“School is the only thing keeping her calm after-… After Alajos… and I’m not planning on tearing that away from her too…”

“Then where do you plan on getting the money?!!”

“I’ll find another job, ok?!! So shut up, that’s the end of the discussion!!” Y/N growled as she got dressed and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. She walked towards her job at the military facility, gritting her teeth in anger. She’s been working the night shifts, completely disrupting her sleeping schedule but she didn’t care. She didn’t have the luxury to complain. In the morning she worked by the tailor in place of her brother and at night she worked her usual cleaning job. She slept a couple of hours during the afternoon that weren’t even enough to rest her body with the amount of effort she was putting into her two jobs. She reached the facility and uttered the password before disappearing into the back of the shop.

Her head’s gears were spinning at a painfully high rate as she suddenly bumped into someone

“Excuse me-…”

“Alex!! Thank God I found you!!” Peggy smiled widely at her. Her smile twitched at the state the young female was in but she quickly composed herself “I have great news for you!!”

“….. Yeah…? I sure hope so…” the young girl sighed in defeat

“I have an idea of who might provide you with a better job… but it might be harder but I’m sure the pay will be better!!” Peggy encouraged

“…. I don’t care if it’s harder or not, if it gets me more money, I’m prepared to do anything, Ms Peggy…” she declared with determination, earning her a satisfied nod. Hope finally tore its way through her misery

“Follow me then…”

The two walked through the depths of the facility towards parts Y/N had never set foot in before. She was getting more and more nervous, passing by officers and whatnot as they gave her curious glances. They finally reached a room, filled with peculiar inventions on every table. Y/N eyed the room with wide curious eyes, fascinated but the multitude of creations she’d never seen before.

“Howard, I want you to meet Alex!! Alex, meet Howard Stark” Peggy introduced proudly as the young female’s eyes snapped towards a man with a peculiar mustache that was hunched over one of the work stations

“….. Hey there, Alex… mind if I ask what’s going on, Peggy?”

“Hello… sir…”

“You told me you were looking for a helping hand around here with your inventing… so I got you this little guy!!” Peggy clamped her hand onto the younger female’s shoulder. “Fast learner, very smart, started reading recently, nimble hands as you can see” She pulled up Y/N’s hands to show them to Howard who raised his eyebrow at her in disbelief. The young female was just as shocked and confused as he was but if Peggy says this job can help, then she’ll do anything to get it

“Mr Stark, Sir!! I’ll do anything you ask of me… please, I need the higher pay…”

“You’re still a kid…”

“I’m 18 now!! I’m not a kid anymore!! Please, I have a small sister to support. I don’t want to take her out of school…” she pleaded and her wide E/C eyes that tore into Howard’s as his resolve wavered

“I’m pretty sure you don’t know the first thing about robotics-“

“I can learn!! Please!!”

“…… fine… but you have a long way to go… a very grueling one at that….” he warned her

“And I’m prepared for it.” Determination was obvious in her eyes. She really was a brave one. Peggy gave her a proud smile then huffed smugly at the male who shook his head at her in disbelief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> • Schatzi = honey/darling/sweetheart  
> • Gute Nacht = Good Night  
> • Y/L/N = Your Last Name  
> • Y/M/N = Your Middle Name  
> • E/C = Eye Color
> 
> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don't repost without proper crediting.


	8. Chapter (7) - ★

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.
> 
> (2) After Thanos wiped out half the universe, a new face crosses Steve’s path asking to join the fight. Y/N declares herself to him asking for a chance at vengeance. Thanos took everything from her. Both Bucky and her bundle of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is by far the longest I’ve written for this series!! I really worked hard on it!! I was actually afraid the chapter would turn into a mess but it actually turned out great! This marks the start of the action, guys!! XD I ran through some horrifying technical problems while writing so excuse the mess... Anyway I hope you guys enjoy the chapter~ ♥️
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of war.

_“I’m pretty sure you don’t know the first thing about robotics-“_

_“I can learn!! Please!!”_

_“...... fine... but you have a long way to go... a very grueling one at that....” Howard warned her_

_“And I’m prepared for it.” Determination was obvious in her eyes. She really was a brave one. Peggy gave her a proud smile then huffed smugly at the male who shook his head at her in disbelief._

“Y/N!! No!! That wouldn’t work!!”

“Howard, trust me!! If we disassemble the gears here and replace them with ones with narrower slots, the car would work better!!”

“.... I’m still not convinced!!”

“You not being convinced doesn’t mean my theory is incorrect.”

“.... you’re way too mature for your age..”

“You ran out of arguments against me so now you’re pointing out the obvious?” The female rolled her eyes as she wiped her greasy hands in a rag. Ever since she’d started working for Stark, her life took a turn for the better. He insisted on taking her in along with her siblings, giving them an old apartment of his that was much better than the hole in the wall of an apartment -at least that’s what he’d called it- that they used to live in. The money she received from the job was enough to keep Iris in school and even buy them proper clothes and good food. There wasn’t a single dull day in their lives anymore and that was kind of a relief for the oldest in the family.

She walked around the Stark company lab like she owned the place. She was wearing a more fitting outfit than the ones she used to have but they were still masculine, much to Howard’s chagrin. He insisted she’d regain her femininity after he’d heard her story and found out she was in fact a girl not a boy. But she refused. “People would take me more seriously like this” she’d said and that ended up shutting him up for a while. She truly fascinated him with her eccentricity and her determined mindset. She was truly a very fast learner, proving it when he’d left her books on mechanics and machinery designing and it only took her a week tops to go through all of them. She was a great help to him even though she had just picked up the basics of everything from him. He was proud of her.

She hovered around the prototype of the hovercar again, checking the hover motors. She heaved a small sigh then looked up to her superior who had his arms crossed and giving her a weird poker face

“What...?”

“.... you should really try wearing a dress once...”

“Oh my God... Howard please no!! Not this again!!” She rolled her eyes at him as she unscrewed one of the hover motors and placed it on her workstation so she can closely examine it

“Y/N, You’re a smart and beautiful girl. Look, I know you need to earn your keep, but I also know that you need to loosen up a little and at least hang out with people your age... find a good guy.... ya know, have some fun...” he trailed off as he stood in front of her on the other side of the workstation

“.... I’m fine like this, I don’t need to go shag someone if that’s what you’re referring to.” she gave him a pointed glare

“.... I never said... shag...? Don’t tell me you picked that up from Peggy...”

“Nope... dictionary.... British English is really interesting... also, how dare you make such an assumption on Ms Peggy!! She’s way to refined for that” they both chuckled at her comment.

“Well at least try to get over that crush of yours on our Captain” he smirked teasingly.

At the mention of the super soldier, the female blushed. She cleared her throat and avoided eye contact.

“I don’t have a crush on him... I just simply... admire him... from afar...” she mumbled under her breath as she slowly disassembled the motor.

“..... yeah yeah~ whatever you say... anyway, I have a date tonight so I’ll be leaving. Lock up after you finish and don’t stay overnight, you need to rest” he ruffled her short hair that was no longer frizzy or messy.

“Will do, Howard... thanks for everything” she gave him a small smile that he returned with a wink.

 **********

“Dorothea!! Andrea!! I’m home!!” Y/N declared as she closed the door behind her and took off her jacket, placing it in the coat rack by the front door.

“Y/M/N!!!” The youngest of the three rushed to her, tackling her with a hug. Y/N chuckled and picked up the young girl, carrying her towards the kitchen. Ever since Alajos’s death, Iris made it a habit of calling the twins by their middle names and making them use hers.

“Welcome Home!! How was your day?!!” The girl chuckled as Y/N placed her down on the counter. Andrea was brewing some stew for them to eat for dinner. She turned to her twin wearing her usual poker face

“My day was good. How was yours? How is school going?”

“Awesome!!” The two engaged into their usual upbeat banter that made Andrea’s eyes soften for a fleeting moment before she interrupted them

“Do you want me to get your bath ready...?”

“... um... sure... you don’t need help with anything?”

“No.”

“..... ok...”

Andrea abruptly left the kitchen to prepare the bathroom. Y/N placed Iris down and told her to go play in her room till diner then followed her twin sister.

“Andrea...”

“.... what is it you want, Y/N?” She didn’t look away from the closet as she pulled out some fresh clothes for the older twin

“.... I just wanted us to turn over a new page... we only have each other... Iris only has us... we shouldn’t let old quarrels get in our way-“ Andrea slammed the closet door shut, successfully shutting her twin up

“Seriously?!! Seriously, Y/N?!! After what you’ve done?!! You used to never listen to me and you always treated me like a burden and now you want to establish us as equals?!!” She raised her tone in agitation

“N-no!! I never treated you as a burden!! You’re my sister!! I just wanted you to rely on me!!”

“Rely on you?!! That’s your excuse?!! Really?!! You never once let me take up half the burden you’re carrying!!! You shouldn’t be carrying that burden to begin with!! We were supposed to be a family!! Help each other!! But you were too stubborn and full of yourself for that!! It’s already over!!” The girl stormed out huffing in anger.

Y/N stood there in utter shock as her mind started replaying that certain event that started this useless fight with her twin. She shook her head sadly then headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

*********

It’s been almost a year since the disappearance of Captain America on his mission to save the world. Red Skull had also disappeared suspiciously but at least HYDRA went back into hiding. Peggy and Howard started this organization under the name of S.H.I.E.L.D alongside Colonel Chester Philips. Of course, Y/N nagged the three of them until they enrolled her as an assistant Engineer after Peggy insisted the young female would take up combat lessons and training on how to use a gun for safety measures and Y/N gladly obliged.

It was a Monday evening, near the end of spring. Y/N was working diligently alongside some other engineers in S.H.I.E.L.D‘s headquarters when she noticed the raised voices of the three founders coming from the slightly ajar door of a small conference room near the research area. Several of the scientists and engineers looked up from their work, eyeing the indoor window to the conference room wryly. The young female heaved a sigh then walked towards the door, picking up on the heated conversation.

“-Howard!! No!! It’s already a page that we turned over. We’re not going back in there!!”

“Peggy, listen to me!! I can remake the serum and we can make a new Soldier!! I know Cap is irreplaceable, but at least we need a new peace symbol to reassure the civilians!!-“

“And I’m against bringing in another unprepared innocent soul and shove all this responsibility onto their shoulders!!”

“Peggy!! Listen to yourself!!! Are you even taking the multitude of threats out there into consideration?!! You do know HYDRA is still out there?!!”

“This is specifically the reason why I don’t want anyone to be thrust into this hastily!! No one is half as prepared for this as you think!!”

“Ummm.... guys, you’re kinda being too loud...” the female interjected with her shoulder leaning against the door frame, hands in her pockets with a faint smirk. Both Peggy and Howard turned to her with shock evident on their faces. The colonel was sitting in between them, eyeing them pensively before training his gaze on the ballsy female

“You really do know how to make an entrance there, kiddo” he chuckled at her and she wiggled her eyebrows at him playfully. She walked into the room then closed the door behind her. The tension in the room was so thick, it could be cut with a knife.

“Look guys, first off, you’re disrupting work out there with your bickering. Second off, I can offer insight on the problem if you let me-“

“NO.” They both finalized in one voice then went back to stubbornly stare each other down. The young female blinked at them owlishly

“At least we witnessed you two agreeing on something” she snorted sarcastically then turned to the older man “Colonel? Care to brief me?”

“..... we’re debating whether or not we should start up Project Rebirth again...” he heaved a sigh “Ms. Carter is against. Stark is with. I choose neither. Too much of a mess” he heaved a sigh

“...... I’m siding with Howard on this one.”

“Y/N!!! Are you serious?!!”

“Yes, Peggy, I’m serious... look, at least do it for show. The people need a hero to cling onto. Some hope after the war..”

“See!!! Exactly what I said!! Kid, you’re the best apprentice ever!!”

“I’m not a kid anymore, Howard. I’m already 20 years old” she cocked her eyebrow at him then turned to the brunette “Why are you against it, Peggy?”

“Like I said, no one should shoulder such a burden on their own!!”

“Then create enough serum for more than one soldier, simple.”

“It’s not simple!! These are human lives we’re talking about!! The war has ended and there won’t be any volunteers and we can’t just abduct people and experiment on them!!! We’re not Nazis!!!” She slammed her palms on the table angrily

“...... tell you what.... I’ll volunteer...”

“WHAT?!!” Both Howard and Peggy growled at her “ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT HAPPEN!!”

“.... you’re very ballsy, kid...” the colonel eyed her wryly

“...Look guys... S.H.I.E.L.D is my home now... I’ll do anything for it. So if you need a volunteer, you got me... I can handle whatever you throw at me...”

“Y/N, no!! You’re still a kid!!” Howard interjected in agitation

“I’m old enough and mature enough to decide for myself something like that. I’m prepared”

“You could die!!”

“I’m pretty sure I won’t... you won’t let me die... and even if I do, I know my sisters will be in good hands.... so start on the serum and I’ll be the first volunteer. You can ask some of the war veterans for more volunteers. Look at the bright side guys!! I’ll be the first female super soldier!! That’s definitely something!!” The girl shrugged trying to make a point

Peggy and Howard exchanged worried glances then faced her again

“... Y/N.... sweetie... this type of burden is too much for you... the responsibility is too great...” Peggy tried to reason with her

“.... if Steve Rogers was prepared to carry this burden all on his own when he first started, then I’m pretty sure I’m prepared to do the same” she squared her shoulders and did a salute “Private Y/N Y/L/N ready to report for duty!!” She announced with a confident smile that loosened up the tension in the room for a fleeting moment.

**********

“TO HELL YOU WILL!!” Andrea snarled angrily as she threw a plate onto the ground in anger, breaking it

“This is my choice and I already made it, Andrea!!! You have no say in this!!”

“You know this is exactly the reason why I hate your stubbornness!!! We’re a family!! You’re supposed to be taking our opinion first before you jump into this mess headfirst!! Or do we not matter anymore?!!!”

“Are you stupid?!! Why would you say that?!!”

“Because that’s exactly the feeling I’ve been getting from you lately!!” She hissed as she swept the broken glass with a broom

“..... look... Andrea... I agreed with Howard and Peggy that once I sign up for this, you

And Iris will be under S.H.I.E.L.D’s permanent protection. You’ll live a good life... I promise”

“Don’t give me that bull crap!!” She glared at her twin angrily “I’m not accepting this!! It’s a stupid idea!!”

“I already signed the contract!!”

“.... what did you just say...?” She stared at Y/N in horror

“.... look, I’m sorry. But it’s already too late...”

“...... Take me with you”

“What?!!”

“I SAID TAKE. ME. WITH. YOU. You’re not getting all the glory alone. Tell them to arrange an adoptive family for Iris, we’re getting her out of this mess. YOUR mess.” She finalized with one final heated glare

“..... You’re not serious..?”

“Oh!! You bet I am!!! You’re not going into this without me whether you like it or not!!”

***********

“Andrea! Y/N! Are you two ready?” One of the new scientists in charge of the rebooted Project Rebirth questioned the two females. They’d undergone tests and training to prepare the two females for this. They currently sat on the two hospital beds, mentally preparing themselves. Andrea wouldn’t even acknowledge her twin with a glance and Y/N was obviously guilt ridden. They agreed to say their good byes to Iris after the serum is implanted and everything settles down.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” The younger of the two stood up and headed towards the Vita-Ray chamber, followed by her sister’s saddened gaze

“Y/N?”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steel herself

“..... yeah... I’m ready...” she finalized as she opened her eyes. The E/C of her eyes was filled with the burning fire of determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> • E/C = Eye Color  
> • Y/M/N = Your Middle Name
> 
> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don’t repost without proper crediting.


	9. Chapter (8) - ★

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.
> 
> (2) After Thanos wiped out half the universe, a new face crosses Steve’s path asking to join the fight. Y/N declares herself to him asking for a chance at vengeance. Thanos took everything from her. Both Bucky and her bundle of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me two days to write this one... I was really not motivated tbh :”D was having kind of a bad day so I wasn’t motivated to write. Anyway I’m glad this chapter is over!! It really took a huge toll on me. It’s somewhat long as a compensation for it being late. My laptop is currently getting fixed so I might not post till it’s back. Anyway, enjoy reading~ ♥️
> 
> Warnings: Family splitting, graphical description of mutation.

_“Yeah, I’m ready.” The younger of the two stood up and headed towards the Vita-Ray chamber, followed by her sister’s saddened gaze_

_“Y/N?”_

_She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steel herself_

_“..... yeah... I’m ready...” she finalized as she opened her eyes. The E/C of her eyes was filled with the burning fire of determination._

Y/N strode towards the Vita-Ray chamber with strong-willed steps, expertly concealing the panic that was starting to settle in. She’d asked Howard how it went with Captain America and his reply was that he almost didn’t make it. Her heart was thrumming in her chest but she kept up the brave front, at least for Andrea who got dragged into this without prior knowledge of how the situation would unfold. Her twin sister was already settled into the chamber. She was obviously nervous but put up a brave front as well. These two couldn’t be anymore alike in that moment. The scientists settled Y/N then strapped her to the chamber. She took one long breath to steel herself.

“How are you doin’, kiddo?” Howard leaned against the edge of the chamber, wearing an encouraging grin that didn’t reach his anxious eyes

“I’m good. Don’t worry about me.” She reassured with a smile and he nodded in return, turning around to switch on the machines

“Howard...?” He immediately turned back to her

“Yeah..?”

“Take care of Iris, please...” she gave a desperate plead with her eyes

“.... I will... but don’t jinx it.... you’ll come out well” he assured her then activated the machine to inject the serum into both females.

Y/N gritted her teeth in pain as her sister choked a scream. The chambers slowly closed and rose up. Peggy and the colonel were watching the scene unfold from the observation deck above the research area.

“Alright... on my count.. 5... 4... 3... 2.. 1!! Activate Radiation!!” Howard instructed as he observed through the protective googles in worry. And then it began. The searing pain that pierced through the female’s skin like a thousand needles attacking all at once. She felt like her skin was melting off as if she was thrown at the burning sun and her muscles contorted in pain. She kept gritting her teeth in agony, trying to stay as silent as possible. Andrea on the other hand was screaming at the top of her lungs. This was too much... Howard was on the verge of deactivating everything but

“The process is complete, Sir!!” The scientist monitoring the vitals informed

“Turn it off then!!” Howard ordered as he rushed towards the chambers that slowly settled down and opened. The two girls were released by the researchers. They were sweaty and heaving out their breaths in pain. Andrea clutched her head and groaned in pain as the doctors rushed to check on her vitals.

Y/N leaned against the chamber to balance herself. Her head was spinning but she noticed her body was different. The muscles were more defined now and poking proudly through her skin. It looked as if she’d been doing obstacle jumping since she was a kid even though she’s never set foot on a track field before. Howard pushed up her bangs so he can get a good look at her face

“Y/N, Are you ok?!!” He was frowning deeply as his gaze roamed all over her looking for any injuries.

“.... I’m fine... go check on Andrea, please...” she spoke through bated breath.Howard nodded at her and rushed towards her sister

“Andrea, How are you feeling?”

“My head feels like it’s going to burst...”

“Severe headache?”

“.... yeah...”

“Anything else?”

“.... no... I guess not...” she panted as she gave him a quick glance before screwing her eye shut in pain

“Sir, her vitals are stable”

“Alright, take her to the hospital wing and check everything for me-“

Suddenly, Y/N chocked a scream as she fell to her knees. She rested her forearms on the ground as she groaned in pain. The cracking sound of bones breaking resounded in the area. Peggy ran down the stairs to reach the young female. Y/N’s back muscles were contorting painfully as muscles poked through her skin in abnormal lumps. The back of her hospital gown started ripping as her bones shifted and a pair of small white wings made their way out of the confinements of her skin. Howard and the researchers stared at her with wide eyes, not believing what they were witnessing. Andrea stared at her twin in horror as her chocked screams increased.

Y/N slammed her fists on the ground in pain as the small wings slowly grew. The tiny white feathers endorsing her wings started to grow and get darker and darker in color. Her wings continued to grow till they became a large pair of proud wings that could easily envelop her body with how big they were. The feathers were silky, long and jet black. The female struggled to catch her breath after this. The pain was even more horrible than the one she experienced inside the chamber. She slowly retracted the wings into her body and surprisingly, they fit back in even with their new size. She slowly looked up and met the wide eyes of her horrified onlookers. Her gaze connected with her twin sister’s before her body finally gave out and she slumped onto the ground, falling unconscious.

Howard snapped out of his daze and quickly started barking orders

“CARRY HER TO THE HOSPITAL WING RIGHT NOW!!! I NEED INSIGHT ON HER PHYSICAL STATE RIGHT NOW!!! MOVE IT!!” He shouted at the doctors who ran to retrieve a stretcher to carry the unconscious female out. Peggy was in a state of panicked frenzy as she looked over to Howard whose expression mirrored hers.

“Howard...? What’s going on...?”

“.... I... I really don’t know...”

**********

“I told you we shouldn’t do this!!”

“Peggy, I didn’t know, ok?!! Look at her X-rays!!” He pointed at the negative X-ray sheet of the female’s abdomen. There were two sheets, one pre-serum and one after.

“This one was taken right before the operation when we were performing the last of the physical check ups... I thought they were a couple of deformed ribs, underdeveloped maybe... I thought it was something she had since birth so I didn’t pay it much attention... I mean Steve had asthma and a weaker constitution than hers and still survived it...” He pointed at the unusual cluster of bones poking from behind her rib cage. He pointed towards the second X-ray sheet

“Here’s after the operation...” his voice trailed off “The wings are much more visible now.... but they look half the size we saw when they came out....” he rubbed the back of his neck in confusion.

“Howard you should’ve mentioned this.... what if the serum is faulty...?”

“..... I-“ he was cut off by one of the doctors’ arrival

“Mr. Stark, She’s woken up and requests to see you and Ms. Carter as soon as possible...” she informed. Howard and Peggy exchanged a worried look then rushed out of the room following the doctor towards the hospital wing in the facility.

The door to the room was open and they could hear the twins arguing

“No, Y/N!! Stop being so rash and stubborn!!”

“It’s none of your business, ok?!! I’ll tell them what I tell them!! Do me a favor and stay out!!”

“This isn’t your issue alone!! You have to listen to my opinion!!”

“I’m keeping you out of it so yes it’s my issue alone!!”

“You stubborn little-!!” They abruptly stopped their argument as soon as the three adults walked into the room. Andrea was standing next to the bed with her hands crossed, her sister sitting on the bed. The twins exchanged glares before the younger of the two stormed out the room without as much as acknowledging Howard and Peggy. The doctor excused herself and closed the door behind her

“.... sorry about Andrea, guys... also Sorry I didn’t mention... this...” Y/N looked down in shame, avoiding the worried gazes she received. Howard sat by the edge of the bed on her right and Peggy sat by her left

“So... you.... knew?” The male asked slowly

“.... I was born with them...” she clarified shyly “Before Andrea and I were born, our parents lived with Alajos in a village in northern Germany... once the Nazis took over, a nearby farm became an experimentation facility.... the area got contaminated and my parents moved away but it was too late... when I was born I had those wings but I learnt to retract them...” she retold while playing with her nails nervously “Look, I’m ok with being treated like a circus freak, but believe me, my sisters are normal, it’s just me...”

“..... We know... your sister’s X-rays are totally normal... nothing’s wrong with her...” Howard reassured

“You should’ve told us about your... wings... Y/N” Peggy gave her a worried frown

“I didn’t think it’d matter... I’m sorry...” she slumped in shame. Howard reaches out and ruffled her hair lovingly

“What’s been done, has already been done, kiddo, it’s over. Don’t worry about it... and don’t be silly, no one’s treating you like a circus freak on my watch” he patted her head and gave her a reassuring smile which she hesitantly returned.

**********

The ride home was as silent as death. After all checkups were done, Howard insisted to drive the twins home so they’d spend their last night with Iris as perAndrea’s request.As soon as they reached the building, she quickly ran upstairs to avoid talking with anyone. Howard heaved a sigh as he followed her with his gaze then turned to Y/N

“Are you going to be ok...?”

“I’ll be fine, Howard... don’t worry... just keep your promise with Iris...” her gaze was sadly trained on the multitude of stars adorning the evening night sky, the breeze sifting through her hair gently.

“.... I’m taking her to a relative of mine. She’s going to be adopted and her history will be buried to keep her identity safe. From here on out she’s a Stark not a Y/L/N... she’ll live a fruitful long normal life” he reassured, taking his sad gaze off her and staring at the sky with her.

After a long silent moment, she looked down and gave him a weak smile before she trudged up the stairs to her apartment. The closer she got to her front door, the louder and clearer Iris’s voice became. She was laughing happily as she asked Andrea about the twins’ day, retelling how her day at school had went. Y/N felt the ache settle in her heart. This was the last time she was going to see the radiant girl who she worked so hard to give a good life. This was the last night she’d read her a story to bed or find her asleep in her arms after a long night of doing homework. That’s why she wanted to make it worth it.

She walked into the apartment wearing a wide smile as the young girl flung herself at her. She carried Iris up and headed straight for the kitchen.

“Guess what we’ll do today!!”

“What?!!” She cheered

“We’ll have an early triple Birthday Party for us!!! We’ll make cake and we’ll play games and we’ll read stories!! We’ll do everything!!” Y/N declared proudly, making her sister squeal in delight.

“Yes!! That’s awesome!!!” She jumped around clapping then ran to Andrea to drag her along. Y/N and Andrea exchanged a sad look before they both put their happy facades back up for the little one.

They made Iris’s favorite birthday cake, vanilla cake, and then decorated it in ganache. They added lots of candles and lit them up before sitting down and singing along happily. They held hands and blew out the candles together, Iris clapping in happiness. Y/N observed her with a loving faint smile, the pang in her chest increasing.

“Today is an amazing day!! I wish everyday is like today!! We’ll live happily together all three of us!!” Iris exclaimed giddily making the twins freeze. Andrea gave Y/N a pointed glare, silently ordering her to find a good explanation

“.... Dorothea... honey... remember Captain America?”

“Yeah!! You used to read about him a lot!!! He was really cool!!”

“Well, me and Andrea... we got a new job... kinda similar to his”

“..... So you’ll be superheroes?!!” The Little girl gasped with wide eyes “Wooooow!!!”

“Cool right?” Y/N chuckled as her smile slowly dropped “Dorothea.... Schatzi... you know... we both will do anything to make sure you’re ok... right?”

“Yeah!! Of course!!! I know you two love me no matter what and I love you too!!!” She beamed happily. That just made explaining the situation even harder

“.... yeah... and you know this job... it’s really hard... and unsafe.... we don’t want you to be in danger... that’s why I made Howard promise to take you to a new family...” the little girl’s face immediately dropped. She understood what this meant

“... but... but I don’t want a new family... I like this family.... I don’t want anyone but Michaela and Y/M/N...”

“I know, honey... we don’t want that either... but it can’t be helped... Howard’s relative is gonna take you in. You’re gonna have a big family and new siblings-“

“But I don’t want new siblings!!! I want you two!!” The girl sobbed

“..... Dorothea... sweetie... we love you and we only have your best interest in mind... and we’re trying to make today a special memory for you... I promise it’s for the best” Andrea stroked the little girl’s hand lovingly

“Dorothea... You’re a strong girl... so stay strong for us...” Y/N stroked her cheek lovingly as the young girl sniffled, pouting but keeping a brave front.

The sisters spent the night in sadness masked with brave smiles. They sang and danced. They played hide and seek and laughed over Iris’s quirky baby moments. The night passed in a flash and the sun slowly rolled over. The twins packed the little girl’s bags. She kept fighting sleep, desperately trying to spend every passing second with her sisters. The girls carried the bags down the stairs and waited on the curb for Howard to arrive with his relative to pick the little girl up.

The silent wait ended quickly when a car parked in front of the three girls. Howard walked out of the passenger seat followed by a man and a woman, walking out of the driver’s seat and backseat respectively. They looked like really high class people. “Andrea, Y/N, Iris, meet my cousin, Bill Stark, and his wife, Jenny” Howard introduced as the woman walked towards the little girl and crouched in front of her

“Hey, honey.... are you ready to go?” Jenny questioned gently as she offered the little girl her hand. Iris hesitated a little before eyeing her sisters sadly. Howard and Bill took over getting the trunk loaded with the small luggage the girl had. She ran towards her sisters and hugged them tightly. Andrea’s tears were already staining her face as she tightened her arms around the little girl’s back. Y/N was holding back her tears as she rubbed Iris’s back. They reluctantly let go as the small girl held Jenny’s hand and headed to the car.

Once the car was loaded, Iris settled in the backseat next to the woman and rolled down the window. She held onto the edge tightly as she stared up sadly at her sisters. Y/N gave her one last kiss on the forehead as Bill started the car. As the car veered into the road. The two girls slowly walked beside the car, prolonging their last moments with their sister. They couldn’t let go..... The car slowly sped up as Iris stuck her head out of the window and called out to her sisters

“SEND ME LETTERS YOU TWO!! PROMISE YOU’LL SEND ME LETTERS!!” She was sobbing. Y/N finally broke down, her tears streamed down her cheeks as her steps increased following the car. The twins desperately followed the car down the street. Their steps slowed down as they settled with the harsh truth. The two girls were a sobbing mess as they turned towards each other

“It’s for the best...” Y/N chocked out through sobs

“... I really hope so...” Andrea replied as she started walking back to their apartment in utter defeat.

**********

The sound of grunting and fists smacking filled the gymnasium as the twins exchanged punches and kicks. They were going through their sparring routine, being observed by their coach. They expertly exchanged blows, dodging hits and kicks and landing a few on each other. Andrea finally landed an exceptionally hard punch to her twin’s cheek, forcing Y/N to stumble back a little to regain her balance. She squared up then aimed for a roundhouse kick. She perfectly landed it but the force of the impact was too sudden and unexpected for the both of them that they landed on the ground. Peggy walked into the gym as soon as the two girls were getting up to continue sparring.

“Hey, girls!! I see you two are progressing with the training well” she gave them a confident smile. They dropped their face-off and turned to her

“We’re doing great” Andrea retorted briefly as her sister downed a whole bottle of water

“.... great then!! I guess you’re ready for the news I’m here with” she waved a file at them. They hadn’t noticed she was holding that file till she pointed it out. She handed it to Y/N and smiled

“What is this...?” The young female questioned with a frown as she leafed through the file.

“Well.... you two have been working really hard on your training for the past 3 months... it’s only fair that with this much progress we assign you to a mission...” she nodded her head towards the briefing of the HYDRA related mission in the file.

“HYDRA is back at its games. It’s time for you girls to shine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> • Schatzi = honey/sweetheart/darling
> 
> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don’t repost without proper crediting.


	10. Chapter (9) - ★

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.
> 
> (2) After Thanos wiped out half the universe, a new face crosses Steve’s path asking to join the fight. Y/N declares herself to him asking for a chance at vengeance. Thanos took everything from her. Both Bucky and her bundle of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short Chapter cuz it’s kind of a breather. I haven’t been feeling well lately and my writing game hasn’t been at its best so, sorry about that. My laptop is still getting repaired 🙄🙄 and that’s pretty much pissing me off. Anyway, my progress with Russian is doing great I’m so proud of myself 😌 now I can read Russian without needing someone to pronounce the word first!! Yay!! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter~ ♥️
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of death, murder and human experimentation.

_“Well.... you two have been working really hard on your training for the past 3 months... it’s only fair that with this much progress we assign you to a mission...” she nodded her head towards the briefing of the HYDRA related mission in the file._

_“HYDRA is back at its games. It’s time for you girls to shine.”_

The twins returned after 18 hours of being dispatched with a victory in their wake. Andrea headed towards the medical bay to get checked while her sister went to report. Y/N strode down the S.H.I.E.L.D building with heavy, confident steps. She was wearing her black stealth suit with heavy military boots that accentuated her masculine look. She still kept her hair short and her face was hidden behind a gas mask that she slowly took off as she arrived into the conference room where Howard, Peggy and the colonel were waiting for her. She gave them a salute and placed her mask down.

“Hey, Kiddo!! How did it go?” Howard was the first to speak up with his signature proud grin

“Went great actually... There were about 30 men at the facility. They were busy emptying the place of important equipment when we ambushed. My assumption was correct, they were clearing out due to the heavy amount of radiation there. They must’ve been experimenting” she informed “We retrieved the little bit of data that was left and we brought back the machinery samples we could get our hands on.”

“I take it you took care of the men?” the colonel questioned pensively

“All annihilated, Sir.” She admitted coldly, earning a concerned frown from Howard and a horrified look from Peggy.

“.... Alright, Soldier. Get checked for injuries and then go home” Chester ordered with a solemn look as Y/N nodded and left the room. He turned towards Howard with a sigh

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was fine!!” The older man exclaimed as he got up “You two better see what’s up with her. She’s a kid, she’s not supposed to react like that...” he turned and left the room as Howard swallowed harshly

“.... Peggy, I’ll go talk to her”

“Alight... just Tell me what happens” she frowned at him worriedly as he nodded and hurried towards medical bay.

His rushed steps clicked down the hall as he rounded the corner and walked in on a breathtaking view. Y/N had her wings stretched out in the ward as a doctor checked them. She had an ugly gash on her left wing that looked like it was still bleeding. The female noticed him and slowly turned around to face him. His eyes were still locked on her magnificent wings as he slowly approached her

“Take a picture, Howard... it lasts longer” She sassed in an unusually dejected tone

“.... I didn’t mean to stare... they’re just-“

“Weird? Abnormal? Disgusting?”

“.... Breathtaking... you look like a... fallen angel?” He whispered to her with admiration seeping out of his gaze as he continued observing the wings

“.... Fallen angel...? Really....?” She laughed humorlessly in disbelief. “The irony.... you know.... you can touch them... if you want to of course!! I don’t mind...” She shyly looked away as he hesitantly ran his fingers across the long thick feathers. They were silky and reflected the light as if they were made of strings of silver despite their jet black color. His fingers slipped to the wound and carefully ran across it, earning a pained hiss from her

“Sorry... how did you get it?”

“Well of course they fought back... got shot at us so the wings protected me... acted like my shield... felt like they had a mind of their own if you ask me...” she shook her head as the doctor started cleaning the wound after finishing checking her right wing “...I really don’t understand, Howard... all my life I’ve lived to hide them... they were weak... and now they’re protecting me...” she frowned in confusion

“... maybe they’re a blessing in disguise? You shouldn’t hide them...”

“Yeah and walk around the streets with everyone gawking at me? No thanks...” she laughed humorlessly.

The room was overwhelmed by a tensed silence. Howard didn’t know how to tackle the subject now that he was right in front of the female. She obviously avoided looking at him by how she shifted ever so slightly under his worried gaze. Once the doctor was done, he nodded a thanks at her then dismissed her, turning towards his apprentice

“Y/N.... Are you really ok?”

“... I’m fine”

“No you’re not!! Look at you!! Your uncharacteristically silent... where’s the snark spouting dragon that’s my apprentice?” He tried to lighten up the mood. She gave him a humorless snort before shaking her head

“That facility... it reminded me of how I got my wings... I bet they were experimenting on people... do you think there are others like me?”

“.... I don’t know, Y/N... I sure hope if there’s anyone, they’re living a good life away from HYDRA and their crimes...” he replied solemnly condoling her in his own way. She rubbed the back of her neck as she took a deep breath, trying to voice out her worries

“..... I’m just... Howard.... I... I killed people today... I know they’re HYDRA and I know they’re bad... but... I feel... empty... devoid... I... didn’t like how it felt... taking away a life... even if they were bad....” She was struggling to express herself. She looked down as she rubbed her tear filled eyes. The older male slowly pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair comfortingly.

All the walls that she’d put up for this mission came crashing down in that moment as she started sobbing into his chest. She wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him closer. She shook her head in utter grief as he patted her back comfortingly

“Shhhh.... it’s ok... you did what you had to do... don’t worry...”

She was just a girl. Not a soldier, not a killing machine. She wasn’t raised to be like this. She was raised to protect lives not kill them. At least she believed in the greater good... she hoped all this will be rewarded in the end...

**********

The sun streamed through the small gap between the curtains. Faint snorts could be heard from the living room. A body was haphazardly splayed over the sofa. It was Howard, obviously exhausted after pulling an all nighter to finish a design he was working on. He was still wearing his dress shirt and pants, everything crumbled up and creasy after a night of uncomfortable sleep, hair disheveled. Y/N walked out of her room wearing nothing but a long tank top and her underwear. She stretched her arms lazily above her head as she trudged towards the kitchen, her hair sticking out of the bun in all directions. She opened the fridge and got out some milk. She sipped on her drink as she finally registered the faint snorting. She licked away her milk mustache, pulling her hair out of the bun then heading towards the sofa.

She gently nudged the sleeping male

“Howard... Howard, get up... what are you doing here...?” She pinched his nose lightly to force him awake. He shifted uncomfortably as his eyes slowly opened. He stared at her groggily as his eyes focused on her

“..... Y/N? What are you doing here....?”

“This is my apartment, Howard. What are you doing here? I gave you the spare key for emergencies and NOT for surprise crash-ins” she scolded him lightly with a faint smile gracing her lips. He groaned in annoyance as he rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up, cracking his aching neck. He groaned again as he slowly sat up

“I didn’t mean to crash here... just didn’t want to go home... was hungry but you were asleep so I settled for sleep instead...” he admitted as he stretched

“.... Go take a shower and I’ll go make you some food... your clothes look horrible and you stink” she mocked “And next time, please go crash at your fiancée’s house...”

He frowned at her slightly then sniffed himself and headed to the bathroom grumbling how it wasn’t her business. The dark circles under his eyes were much prominent in the light, as he passed by a window. He was working himself to the bone recently. The female shook her head in worry as she settled for making him eggs and bacon along with his usual black coffee. She left the food cooking then headed to her room to get him some spare clothes. Her apartment was much closer to the research facility than his, which made the possibility of Howard swinging by her place to freshen up before heading for a meeting pretty high. She made him leave a couple of suits at her place so he’d be ready at any given moment for such emergencies. She prepared his clothes for him then set the breakfast for him and checked her mail. He finished getting dressed then sat by the small kitchen table where his breakfast awaited him. He looked at her empty side of the table as she sat down

“Aren’t you gonna eat, kiddo?”

“..... No, I’ll eat right before I head out for the mission...” she replied in a dismissive mumble as she read the letter she received from Iris. The little girl kept in touch with her despite everything.

“Did you know Iris is graduating middle school next week?” She questioned curiously

“Well yeah... she invited me... I’ll take pictures for you” he offered with a faint smile that she returned with a small sad nod “And you were saying you had a mission today?”

“Yeah.... abandoned HYDRA facility needs to be swept for any data... nothing that serious”

“.... alright be careful... though I heard you’re doing just great. Peggy says that missions you go on have a higher success rate.. that’s pretty decent”

“.... I guess so yeah... You had a date with Maria today, right?” she spoke dismissively as she got up. She halted her movements as her vision went blurry for the briefest of moments. She frowned deeply as her eyes slowly refocused

“.... Y/N....? Are you ok...?” Howard’s worried voice dragged her eyes towards him. A frown was etched deeply onto his face

“..... I’m.. fine... just a bit queasy....” she rubbed her neck and headed to the bathroom avoiding more conversation.

The sound of water running came from the bathroom as Howard eyed the hallway she’d disappeared through skeptically. Something was off. He went back to eating when he heard Y/N’s severe coughing... something was seriously wrong... He slowly got up

“Y/N...? Are you really ok...?”

“..... Howard... please come over...” she called out in a weak voice that settled the dread in his gut. He quickly ran to the bathroom. He gasped in horror as he saw her sitting on the ground in front of the toilet, her hands covering her nose and mouth. Her shoulders were shaking with every breath she took as she slowly faced him with wide horrified eyes

“Y/N?!! What’s wrong?!!”

She slowly pulled her hands away revealing her heavily bleeding nose. She started coughing again and she was obviously spitting blood. A lone tear streamed down her cheek

“.... Howard...? What’s wrong with me...?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don’t repost without proper crediting.


	11. Chapter (10) - ★

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.
> 
> (2) After Thanos wiped out half the universe, a new face crosses Steve’s path asking to join the fight. Y/N declares herself to him asking for a chance at vengeance. Thanos took everything from her. Both Bucky and her bundle of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know. I disappeared. I’m sorry. I was really feeling down and I had lots of trouble writing this chapter. We’re finally at chapter 10 of this series!!! Yaaaaay!!! The chapter is somewhat long as compensation for the lack of updates. I had a huge block but I think starting next chapter stuff will go more smoothly. Next chapter is when the events start heating up!! 😌😈 I think we’re 4 chapters (give or take) from finishing the background of the reader!! XD look forward to that!! I was thinking I could make a list of soundtracks to be played while reading the chapter. What do you guys think? Tell me and I can do it and link it in the Author’s Note! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!! ♥️
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of human experimentation, almost death experience.

_She slowly pulled her hands away revealing her heavily bleeding nose. She started coughing again and she was obviously spitting blood. A lone tear streamed down her cheek_

_“.... Howard...? What’s wrong with me...?”_

Y/N’s hands were shaking. She was terrified. Her upper body slumped as her vision went blurry again but this time she was starting to lose consciousness. Howard steadied her body then quickly carried her out the room

“Y/N!! Don’t you dare lose consciousness!!! I’m taking you to the hospital right now!!” He urged frantically placing her on the sofa. He quickly got his wallet and keys then carried her out of the building. He placed her in the backseat, quickly jumping into the driver’s seat then rushing down the road. He kept switching his gaze between the rear view mirror to look at Y/N and the road to actually see where he was going. The female had gotten extremely pale, her breathing labored and her hands limp in her lap. Howard’s horror was increasing with every passing second. What was going on? Is she dying? Shouldn’t she be immune to disease and such because of the serum? Was the serum faulty? His own thoughts were suffocating him as he haphazardly parked the car into the hospital parking lot. He rushed into the reception and called for help.

Medics followed him to the car as they rushed to pull the female onto a stretcher and pulling her towards the emergency wing. Howard tried to follow them but was quickly stopped by a nurse that asked him to stay in the waiting area.

************

“What do you mean you don’t know, Howard?!! How could you let this happen?!!” Peggy seethed angrily

“Look, like I said, she just suddenly started coughing heavily and then she spat blood and I carried her here immediately.... they’ve been testing her for hours now and-“ he was cut off by a man approaching them

“Mr Stark, we checked her for everything, there isn’t any internal bleeding but her liver seems to be in very bad shape...” the doctor informed

“What do you mean by bad shape?!! Her entire body shouldn’t be suffering of anything!!! Howard!! What is this?!!” Peggy’s tone was accusative. Howard bit on his lip in worry

“Peggy.... did Andrea complain about any health issues?” He asked knowing the female had good contact with the younger twin

“Nothing beyond the usual chronic headaches... Howard, What the hell is going on?!!”

“Can you show me her blood samples?” The Male ignored her and turned his speech to the doctor who nodded hesitantly and asked him to follow

“Peggy, call Andrea and ask her to come over and get her checked... the serum might be faulty...” he concluded without making eye contact with her, quickly following the retreating frame of the doctor, leaving the brunettein utter and complete shock. Her legs wouldn’t hold her up anymore as she fell into her seat, covering her face with her hands.

**********

“So... you’re saying... Y/N’s immune System is reacting negatively to the enhanced cells of her liver....? So it’s destroying it...?” Peggy questioned in confusion

“..... yes... and what’s surprising me is that this same reaction is present in Andrea as well.... but not as severe as Y/N.... the serum is definitely faulty...” Howard heaved a sigh as he checked the blood samples under the microscope again

“Howard!! I told you we shouldn’t do this!!! Now Y/N’s dying-....!!!” She cut herself off as she covered her mouth trying to hold back her tears.

“I won’t let that happen...” he pledged with unyielding tenacity. He got up and walked out of the room. Peggy quickly followed him, confusion lacing her features. He walked into the room Y/N was being kept in and to his relief she was awake.

Her eyes were half lidded, unfocused as she still struggled to breathe properly. She gave him a weak smile as soon as she recognized him.

“Y/N, listen to me, I need your insight on this...” he requested gently. She opened her mouth to reply but started coughing instead. He got her a glass of water and helped her sip a little. She slowly nodded at him as her coughing fit died down. She gently touched his hand and pushed it weakly so he can flip it and offer her his palm. She made eye contact with him, asking him to start talking. Peggy observed the two silently. It was obvious that their bond was stronger than hers with the older twin.

“Look, Your immune system is attacking your liver cells, because they’re the most enhanced among the rest of your organs. Basically a negative reaction... I don’t know why it took too long for it to happen... but it did... your sister’s got a similar case but it’s much less severe than with you... this means that the serum was faulty...” he informed “What do you think we should do?”

The female stared silently at him for a while before she started tapping weakly on his palm. She was speaking to him in Morse code. Her tapping was consistent and fast. He nodded at her as she kept their gazes connected. Then the tapping stopped. She let go of his hand and started coughing again as she closed her eyes and resigned to rest a bit. Her cheekbones were more visible now. Her weight had dropped drastically in such a small amount of time that it worried Howard even more. He caresses her cheek and kissed her forehead before getting up and heading out, expecting Peggy to follow.

“Howard? What was that?”

“She said negative multiplied by negative gives a positive. If the serum did that to her then it’s what’s going to reverse it. She says if it took this long for the side effect to come out, it only means that it takes about 7 years of working before it fails again. So basically we need to recharge every 5-6 years to make sure a repeat of this doesn’t happen.” He informed her as he headed out of the hospital “I’m going to go get more of the serum made. Keep me updated on her state, Peggy, she doesn’t look so good.”

*********

It took Howard three sleepless nights to get the serum prepared on such short notice. He got the chambers ready and sent for Y/N to be transported back to the S.H.I.E.L.D research facility. The girl had lost so much weight, she was withering away. Her mentor was feeling so guilty, heart aching in despair. The doctors strapped her unconscious limp body to the chamber then strapped her sister to the other chamber. And the painful process started all over again. This time neither of the two made a sound. After it was all over, Y/N was slowly removed from the chamber, still unconscious, but her muscle mass had made itself prominent and the color returned to her skin. She was placed into ICU in the facility, doctors observing her vitals like clockwork till she regained her consciousness.

Andrea left the room as soon as she was released from her chamber. She sent a disgusted glare Howard’s way as she got dressed back into her tight low neck sweater and jeans. She wore her stilettos then walked out, her heels clicking on the ground arrogantly. Howard gritted his teeth. He couldn’t believe she didn’t even check up on her twin before striding out like she owned the place. He heaved a sigh, finishing his report quickly then heading to the ICU. He pulled a chair and sat down next to the unconscious female, wallowing in his guilt. He rested his elbows on the mattress next to her and covered his face with his hands, trying to will the headache he had to go away. He was beyond exhausted, but the guilt and worry wouldn’t let him blink an eye.

Suddenly, he felt soft fingertips faintly running across his knuckles. He quickly removed his hands and gasped. His eyes connected with E/C ones as Y/N stared at him with a small smile

“.... You look like crap, Howard...” she mumbled with a raspy voice “Haven’t you been eating or sleeping lately...?” She questioned with a faint giggle

“..... you’re the one in the hospital bed and you still manage to worry about me.... I can’t believe you...” he breathed out, lips quivering as relief washed over him for the briefest of moments before the guilt spread back.

“.... Y/N... I’m so sorry I rushed this... I shouldn’t have-“

“There’s no need to apologize... I’m fine now.... you didn’t know this would happen... once I recover, we can work on a modified version of the serum... I’m sure we’ll find something... besides, I chose this... it’s not your fault” she reassured as she caressed his cheek gently. He bit his lip and nodded in return.

*********

“Y/N!! Are you ready? We need to go!!” Peggy questioned walking out of her bathroom while putting on her earring, navy blue Delores swing dress swishing around her as she walked. She flashed her husband a small smile as she passed by him heading to the guest room to check on the younger female. She knocked on the door then walked in on Y/N checking herself in the mirror.

She was wearing tea-length rosy pink dress. The skirt was fluffy and made of tulle, framing her legs gracefully. The dress was sleeveless with a v-neckline that accentuated the small necklace with the diamond pendant that Maria insisted she’d wear to the wedding. Her hair fell in loose curls to her H/L. She turned around to face Peggy who had an admiring faint smile gracing her lips

“Don’t you look beautiful? I’m surprised you’re not one of the bridesmaids with that dress...” The brunette chuckled at her then nodded her head for the shying twin to follow her.

“Yeah... Maria wanted me to be one of her bridesmaids but I declined... I don’t need the attention...” she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, earning a snort from the older female. Peggy’s family boarded the car as the two women walked out of the house. Peggy sat next to her husband and Y/N occupied the backseat. The ride to the church was mostly silent except for the faint jazz music playing through the radio and the faintly exchanged conversation between Peggy and her husband.

The car veered through the streets of New York smoothly as Y/N’s gaze trailed on the scenery quickly changing around her. It was a beautiful day to say the least. The car came to a slow stop in the packed parking lot of a big old church where the ceremony was being held. The young female eyed the building curiously, eyes tracing the grooves and dents in the intricately designed roof, the steeple stood proudly with the metallic cross adorning its tip, shining slightly when the sun rays hit it. Her E/C eyes rested on the tower for a bit, marveling over the beauty of the building, wandering how the inside would look like. Peggy chuckled at the curious female with a raised eyebrow

“The architecture of the building is beautiful isn’t it?”

“.... yeah... my first time going to a church...” The young female mumbled shyly

“Really?! You’ve been here this long and haven’t been to a church before?”

“... well yeah... I’m not exactly Christian ya know” Y/N chuckled gently at the small revelation

“.... you aren’t? I didn’t know... does Howard know?” Peggy frowned slightly

“Well, I never attended Sunday service, I think he picked up on it”

“I see. Well new experience, I guess you should enjoy this to the fullest, you’ll probably like the stained glass windows” she patted the younger female’s shoulder as they slowly walked towards the large wooden doors.

**********

Glasses filled with champagne clinged, laughter resounded in the large dining area of the sophisticated restaurant that the wedding reception was being held in. The colonel clapped Howard on the back as he congratulated him. The younger male smiled happily, adjusting his bow tie. He nodded gently to some of the guests and spotted a head of H/C curls that weaved through the crowd. He quickly followed the female in the red silk tight cocktail dress and tapped her shoulder. She twirled around and faced him, her bright red lipstick catching him off guard

“... Andrea..!!”

“Hey, Howard. Congratulations... I hope you and Maria have a great life together” the younger twin gave him a somewhat friendly smile but she was obviously shutting him out

“Thank you, I’m glad you could make it today... have you seen-?”

“Y/N? No I haven’t... if you’ll excuse me, Stan is waiting for me outside...” she brushed him off with a cold smile before turning around and rushing out the room with her arrogant steps in the seductive stilettos.

The male heaved a sigh, placing his hands in his pockets in slight annoyance. He felt his shoulder being roughly poked with a skinny small finger that he knew all too well. He quickly turned around, automatically plastering a smile across his lips

“Looking for me, Howard?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him

“Yeah, well I didn’t see you during the ceremony... so yeah”

“I was sitting at the back, Howard. You were too busy smiling goofily at your wife to notice me” she teased him with a smirk. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishlythen shoved her lightly with his shoulder before giving her a once over

“Well isn’t this dress quite lovely on you, princess?” He smirked

“Changing the subject now, aren’t we?” She chuckled at him knowingly “Well, Peggy picked this for me... so yeah... you know I’m not great with dresses”

“Yeah, well I wouldn’t be surprised if you caught someone’s eyes today. Just try not to seduce every man in New York, there are other women out there too” he teased her earning an eye roll accompanied by a weak slap to the shoulder.

“Trust me, I’d rather die than attract too much attention”

“Well too late for that, kiddo” he snorted at her “Have you heard? Your sister is dating a new one... Said his name was Stan...” Howard snorted

“Is that so...? Last time was John wasn’t it? I lost count to be honest with you” she shook her head disapprovingly “I guess she’s trying to look for the right man... I hope she settles down soon before any unrepairable damage happens...” the female heaved a worried sigh

“Well, she’s a tough girl as you can see... worry about her less and about yourself more... be more selfish kiddo...” he pinched her cheek lightly which earned him a harmless hand swat. “And I happen to know the best way to start being selfish!! Get a boyfriend!! How about that engineer by the bar? His name is Andrew. Very smart, likes reading and wine tasting-“

“Yeaaaaah and I’m gonna stop you right there... really not interested...” she rolled her eyes at him again, the endearing smile gracing her lips again as they went back at their playful banter, mocking each other lightheartedly.

Suddenly, the door to the restaurant slammed open and in jogged a hurried young man. He was an agent named Thomas, stationed to monitor HYDRA’s activity from afar. He quickly made his way towards Howard and Peggy, who had quickly stationed herself next to the male and his apprentice

“Mr. Stark, Mrs. Carter, Ms. Y/L/N, I apologize for the interruption but I have some news regarding some weapon transactions made by HYDRA” the male saluted them then informed

“Well, isn’t that lovely.... they found the best time to act up, right after my wedding...” Howard growled in annoyance

“Howard, dear... what’s going on...?” Maria took careful steps towards her husband out of the anxious, onlooking crowd

“HYDRA are acting up again... but nothing to worry about, sweetie” he informed her as he gave her a reassuring side hug

“Ok, Thanks for informing us Thomas. You can go back to your station and write me a full report with the source of the information mentioned please.” Peggy ordered sternly

“Alright, ma’am!! Excuse me-“

“Wait Tom, I’m coming with” Y/N finally spoke up

“Y/N? What are you doing?” Howard questioned

“Well, if they’re making their move to sell and/or buy weapons, I can try to infiltrate the transaction and maybe find out who the business partner is or better yet, sabotage it. I need all info on this so I’ll go with Tom” she explained

“Y/N. We can assign this to someone else, there isn’t any reason you have to throw yourself at the fire right now. This might be false information or a set up” Peggy stressed

“I know, and who better to find out about this other than me? I’m your super spy aren’t I?” Y/N finalized as she turned around and headed to leave, quickly followed by the young man.

Howard heaved a sigh, exchanging a meaningful look with the brunette

“... I have a bad feeling about this, Howard...”

“.... yeah... me too...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don't repost without proper crediting.


	12. Chapter (11) - ★

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.
> 
> (2) After Thanos wiped out half the universe, a new face crosses Steve’s path asking to join the fight. Y/N declares herself to him asking for a chance at vengeance. Thanos took everything from her. Both Bucky and her bundle of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, took me long enough 😂😂 I’m sorry it’s so late but the chapter took so long to finish because I got a bit of a block while writing it. As promised, it’s packed with plot and I did my best with it!! It’s super long too as I promised 😌😌 Hope you guys enjoy ♥️
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of death, fighting, killing.

_Howard heaved a sigh, exchanging a meaningful look with the brunette_

_“... I have a bad feeling about this, Howard...”_

_“.... yeah... me too...”_

“Howard, what are you doing here?” The female questioned without taking her eyes off the computer screen as she continued reading the information regarding the new mission

“Can’t I check on my favorite girl?”

“Well when you’re supposed to be on your honeymoon, you’re not supposed to check up on me... what are you really doing here?” Y/N raised her eyebrow at him accusingly, tearing her eyes off the screen

“..... I’m the boss here, why are you questioning me??” Howard asked in mock offense

“Howard.... seriously.... I can’t believe you’re postponing the honeymoon like that... I bet your wife’s angry...” she grumbled at him accusingly

“Maria is really understanding!! Don’t bring her into this!! That’s foul play!!” He whined

“No, Howard. You go back to your wife right now, apologize to her and then head to your honeymoon... I don’t need your help with this” she switched her gaze back to the screen

“But, Y/N-“

“No buts... I can handle this on my own. I’m not a newbie... the mission will be executed flawlessly like all the others” she finalized professionally as she scrolled through the report

“.... are you sure? I really have a bad feeling about this...” he finally voiced out his concerns, worry lacing each of his words

“... Really Howard... you’re such a worry wart... I already told you I can handle this... don’t worry too much” she gave him an encouraging smile, eyes locking with his confidently.

“What makes you so sure?” He retorted. Wearing a faint confident smirk, the female gently tapped the tip of her nose twice with her left forefinger, a recurring gesture of hers.

“Instincts... you know they never fail me. They’re always right”

“..... ok fine... I admit so far they weren’t wrong but they’re still baseless so be careful”

“Pfffft!! Careful is my middle name!!” She wiggled her eyebrows at him confidently. He hesitantly resigned to her, heaving a sigh and getting up

“But you’ll keep me updated”

“Yeah yeah, leave already you old man”

“Excuse you, who’s the old man?” He snorted at her making her chuckle. He shook his head disapprovingly then strode out of the room, giving her one last worried glance and a half smile before walking out the room.

Y/N went back into reading. Apparently the information source is a trusted information broker specialized in monitoring HYDRA activity. The report stated that HYDRA was to buy a batch of smuggled vibranium bullets. The seller was a weapon trader known for the highly expensive and hard-to-come-by weaponry. The transaction was to occur inone week time, after a negotiation session due in four days that would take place during an annual masquerade organized by a wealthy English businessman who invites the big sharks of all industries in an attempt to build good relationships with them. It was also stated in the report that the parties aren’t heavily monitored so slipping in unnoticed wouldn’t be hard, considering it’s a masquerade. The female assigned her backup agents, Jacob Carlson and Rick Sanders. They were reliable stealth operatives and she preferred going on undercover missions with, simply because the three of them work well together, like they’re one functioning entity. The female sent a telegram for both of the men, briefly informing them of the mission’s importance and they’d receive further details once they arrive at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. She heaved a small sigh and stretched as she got up to check the progress with Stark Industry’s latest inventions.

***********

“Y/N’s taking so long....” Jacob whined in boredom as he ungracefully sat down on the king sized bed. He ran his fingers through his wavy neck-length black hair. His vibrant grey eyes scanning the extravagant hotel suite room. He wore black dress pants, black bow tie and white dress shirt on, his tuxedo jacket resting carefully on a chair. His partner was tying his own bow tie in front of the mirror

“Be a Little Patient. You know women need more time with their dresses and such...” Rick scolded lightly. He brushed his short light brown hair back then buttoned the cuffs of his white dress shirt. His brown eyes settled on his whining friend’s reflection in the mirror as he shook his head disapprovingly.

“Put your jacket on, Jacob. She’ll be done any second now” he ordered as he buttoned his vest then elegantly slipped into his own black tuxedo jacket then threw a black masquerade mask, similar to his, to his partner. Jacob groaned in annoyance before he obliged. He stood up and reluctantly slipped on his black vest and jacket.

The door to the room swung open revealing their female partner. The two men looked up at the sudden intrusion, eyes widened. Beautiful H/C hair was carefully woven into an elegant princess braid, face adorned with complimenting sultry makeup. Eyes framed with dark blueshimmery eyeshadow that made the E/C in her eyes pop. Her plump lips were dressed in maroon, contrasting with her S/C skin beautifully. She wore the same necklace she had on during Howard’s wedding along with a simple diamond earring and bracelet set. Her maxi dark blue velvet dress hugged her waist seductively and the off-shoulder neckline hung low enough on her bust to reveal a glimpse of cleavage enough to entice the curiosity of any man. She switched her confused gaze between the two silent men that simply gawked at her.

“What are you two staring at...?” She frowned slightly. Rick quickly composed himself and gave her a quick assessing gaze wearing a faint smile

“The dress suits you well, Y/N. Glad you went with this one since it’s more modest” he complimented her which she returned with a grateful smile. He nodded at her and gestured towards the door, confidently walking out, heading to the car.

Jacob remained silent the entire time. His gaze slowly traveling down the female’s curves, taking in every detail of the intricate lace design on the dress’ bodice. His eyes finally travelled up and connected with hers

“..... glad I waited...” he muttered breathlessly

“I bet you were impatient.” She mocked with a smirk. He slowly crossed the distance between them

“Yeah, What can I do...? I can’t keep you off my mind....” he whispered as he slowly got close to her, leaning in to capture her lips into a kiss. She quickly placed her forefinger on his lips stopping him before he went any further

“.... Jacob... I’m not my sister... I’m not Andrea.... we’re colleagues... that’s it”

“..... you’re right... I know... at least now I can say I tried...” he heaved a sigh, shoulders slumping in dejection as he stepped back and quickly tapped back into his laid back persona

“Shall we head out, ice princess?”

“... You’re an ass” she rolled her eyes at him playfully as she walked out, her heals clicking faintly on the floor as he shook his head with a faint smile and followed her.

Rick was waiting beside the limousine, hands in his pockets as he eyed the evening sky

“Took you two long enough...” he sent his partner a cold meaningful glare that Jacob returned with a guiltless shrug. Y/N ignored the interaction and was the first to get into the car. Jacob was about to follow her when his partner stopped him by grabbing his upper arm

“..... stop making advances at her... I don’t think she needs another ridge in her relationship with her sister...” he muttered as quietly as possible

“It’s none of Andrea’s business who I‘m with... she ended it so she has nothing to do with this... and Y/N already rejected me. You don’t need to bud in as well” Jacob sneered before quickly ending the exchange by getting into the car. Rick grumbled under his breath then followed suit.

“Ok, boys! Let’s review the plan” the female exclaimed

“Reach party reception, wear masks, mingle with the crowd, locate targets, spy on transaction, watch out for unexpected mishaps. Yeah we’re good” the grey eyed male summarized the plan nonchalantly as he leaned into his seat comfortably while watching the scenery. Rick sent him a disapproving side glare before he turned to the third party member.

“So? Any news?” He tried to start a friendly conversation

“.... I met the two new trainees last week... Nick Fury and Alexander Pierce are their names” she informed

“Oh! I’ve yet to meet them... what do you think of them?” Jacob turned towards the two, listening in on the conversation but choosing not to participate

“Fury is a very earnest young man if you ask me. He takes everything so seriously I thought he would take my sarcasm as serious talk but turned out he was just as snarky as I am but hid it well” she chuckled

“Well isn’t that lovely. Are you taking him under you?”

“Considering....”

“What about the other one?”

“.... Pierce... well... he’s a different story...” her voice trailed off a bit as she recalled her encounter with the younger men.

“Y/N!! These are Nick Fury and Alexander Pierce!! New trainee agents!! Gentlemen, this is Sergeant Y/N Y/L/N. Also known as Lucifer.” Howard introduced the two young men to his apprentice who was hunched over a robotic arm she was working on in the S.H.I.E.L.D HQ laboratory. She looked up from her work in disinterest as she eyed the two new faces. She placed down her tools and took off her gloves.

“Greetings, gentlemen... you’re here on training for?” She questioned curiously as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her back against her working station. Fury squared up his shoulders and gave her a small salute

“Sergeant Y/L/N, it is a pleasure to meet you in person ma’am. We have heard a lot about you. We’re here as trainees for the new spy program.” He informed respectfully

“.... I see... you need to loosen up a little though... we don’t need anymore robots around here...” she smirked at him nodding her head towards the robot arm

“.... I can assure you I’ll be fine, ma’am... since you’ll be teaching me how to deal with those robots you speak of” he retorted with a straight face causing the female to blink owlishly for a couple of times. She turned towards Howard who was holding back a smirk

“.... I like him...” she pointed at the young man

“Yeah I knew you would” Howard rolled his eyes at her. She turned towards the second male and eyed him wryly. His fake smile was so expertly concealed anyone other than her wouldn’t have noticed it was in fact fake. His blue eyes held a hidden coldness and brutality, she knew all too well. He wasn’t a person to be trusted. He stepped up and offered a handshake

“Sergeant Y/L/N, I’m very pleased to meet you. Me and Nick here have heard all about your heroic acts against HYDRA. You truly are as brave and strong as the late Captain America” he complimented in a tone dosed in sweet honey, a trap she wouldn’t fall for. She took his hand and shook it firmly, squeezing his hand a little to tightly as she put up a smile mirroring his.

“The pleasure is all mine, Pierce. Glad you volunteered for this job. I take it you finished your service in the military?”

“Yes, ma’am. Both of us” the smile wouldn’t get wiped off his face which ticked her off a little

“... lovely... well I’ll be looking forward to work with the two of you... but if you’ll excuse me now, I have some robots to deal with...” she quickly retracted her arm and turned away, finalizing the conversation. Howard noted the switch to defense mode in the female’s attitude and quickly ushered the two young men out of the room, willing himself to ask about it later.

Y/N rested her hands onto the workstation, leaning onto it. The chill that ran up her spine was not to be mistaken. That man, he was bad news and she knew it.

“....He was slimy to say the least... he’s hiding something. I don’t know what it is, but he’s definitely got hidden agendas” Y/N informed Rick wearing a deep disgusted frown

“Hey, he might be a good guy. Don’t judge him so quickly” Jacob defended “Remember how you misjudged me as well?”

“I didn’t misjudge you. You’re a ladies’ man and I wasn’t wrong about you being way too handsy and flirty” she grumbled at him

“... ok I admit that’s right. But you know you didn’t expect me to be a capable spy and here we are, I’m your favorite aren’t I?”

“..... no, Rick is.” She answered with a straight face

“Ah c’mon!! I’m your second favorite then?”

“... not even close...” she retorted keeping the straight face

“You’re so cruel, ice princess, I thought we had great chemistry!! Maybe Codename Lucifer does fit you after all...” He whined at her and she returned it with her signature sassy eye roll

“Alright you two, we’re here.... try not to kill him, Y/N, we don’t need a scandal on our hands” Rick interjected as he put on his mask

“Trust me... I’m trying not to...” she grumbled as she pulled on her blue lace masquerade mask

“You two are so cruel, I don’t even know why I care about you this much...” Jacob whined again as he put on his mask then got off the limousine that had parked right in front of the large extravagant entrance to the mansion where the party was being held.

************

“The canapés here are really good!! Music sucks though...”

“Jacob, seriously, focus”

“You’re such a killjoy, Rick”

“I agree with, Jacob... wine is good too..”

“Not you too, Y/N... seriously you two...”

“See? Someone finally understands me!!”

“Jacob, you’re immature...” scolded the older and more mature male

“You’re seriously a killjoy and an old geezer sometimes, Rick... I really dislike this side of you...”

“Guys, I have eyes on our target.” The female finalized into the newly developed transmitting device that was concealed as a hearing aid. The device was worn by all three of them to ease communication as they slipped expertly into the masked crowds

“Are you sure it’s him?” The older of the two males questioned

“Yes. I’m positive. Identified him by the spiderweb tattoo on the neck as stated in the report. It’s Frederick Gustav.”

“So now we have visuals on the arms dealer... where’re the buyers?” Jacob questioned as he immediately switched into professional mode

“I’ll scan the area. Lucifer, try to familiarize yourself with Gustav. If you feel compromised or endangered, you know the code word.”

“Don’t worry, Rick. I’m on it” She retorted confidently as she set out to follow her prey. She kept a considerable distance from her target as she watched him carefully, blending in the masses as if she were a shadow. He stopped walking in a peripheral yet crowded part of the room, deciding that was a good place to monitor the area. That’s when the female decided to strike. She changed her body posture to seem shy, confused and lost. She let the dancing couples crash into her as she apologized to them profusely, acting like a helpless lost lamb. She quickly pushed her way through and lightly bumped into her target, whispering a small apology while making eye contact for the faintest of moments with him as she tried to push her way towards a more secluded area. And to her delight, he took the bait.

He was intrigued by her beauty and the vulnerable attitude. He made a quick scan across the room, checking if his client has made an appearance, then decided to follow her. ‘What’s the problem with a little fun?’ He thought to himself as he smirked. Oh how little did he know.... He followed her towards the balcony with wide open doors, grabbing two glasses of wine from a waiter as he headed towards her. The female took a deep breath of the fresh evening air, rubbing her forearm nervously. Gustav cleared his throat as he approached her, not wanting to startle the fragile looking beauty. She gasped and turned around, eyeing him with worried wide eyes

“H-how May I help you, sir?”

“I couldn’t help but notice your obvious distress when you brushed past me... so I decided, maybe I can try to help you forget whatever it is that’s worrying those beautiful eyes of yours...” he flirted with her as he offered her the drink. She hesitantly accepted the drink, avoiding eye contact shyly

“.... thank you, sir...”

“Please do call me Gustav. Fredrick Gustav. There isn’t a need for formalities” he chuckled delightfully at her and she gave him a polite nod

“Lilean...” she whispered her alias to him taking a hesitant shy glance at him. He smirked at her

“A beautiful name for a beautiful maiden. What brings you here, away from the party ?”

“... it’s too crowded inside... and I get nervous... I don’t like parties...”

“I see... you came here alone?”

“.... No.”

“Well, where is he?” He seemed a bit dissatisfied by the answer

“... I don’t know.... I was looking for him butI couldn’t find him and I got anxious so I decided to wait here...” she sipped on her drink

“.... well isn’t he stupid for leaving your side.... tell you what, beautiful. Forget him, I’ll take you out of here to a quieter place after I finish some business and we can have some private time. What do you think, sugar?” He tried to coax her

“I-I don’t know... we just met... I don’t think-“

“Lilean... sweetie, I’ll make you happy... just enjoy this one night of your life... let loose...” he rubbed her upper arm, sending disgusted goosebumps running up her skin but she still kept up the facade

“.... I... I don’t know...”

“I promise you a good night. No harm will befall you...” he reassured. After a small pause to think, she finally nodded and he took her hand in his.

“Will you allow me this dance?”

“.... yes, Gustav”

“Good Girl.” He pulled her exceptionally close to him as he placed one hand on the small of her back and guided her through the slow dance. Her skin was crawling but she kept calm. She swayed with him gently, her hand resting on his shoulder, slowly creeping towards the back of his neck. She ran her fingers across the back of his tuxedo’s collar with a feather light touch, enticing him with her subtle flirting. He didn’t notice her when she slipped a small tracking device into the inside of his collar. He slowly stopped dancing and caged her against the railing. His hand rested on her cheek, the other still snuggly placed on the small of her back. He caresses her cheek, coaxing her to look up and meet his gaze. His eyes slipped to her plump lips before switching up to her mask. He slowly started pushing it up, carefully gauging her reaction.

Someone cleared their throat from the entrance to the balcony, gaining the attention of the two. They turned around to face three fierce yet aloof looking men

“.... Gustav... You’re quite enjoying yourself aren’t you?” The man in the middle spoke coldly, his hands arrogantly in his pocket, not even bothering with wearing a face mask

“You’re Late... not my fault...” he grumbled in annoyance at the other man’s arrogance then turned to the female

“I’ll disappear for a while, sugar. I’ll come look for you after, Alright?” He smiled gently at her, kissing the back of her hand before going after the three men. Y/N’s facade immediately dropped

“... that was disgusting...”

“You’re a great actress though...” Jacob mumbled as he and his partner strode into the balcony.

“How many HYDRA agents did you see?” The older male questioned

“Three men. There might be more hiding around the ball room.”

“Alright, I’ll stay here and try to fish out any extra HYDRA personnel. Jacob, you follow Gustav and the three HYDRA agents with Lucifer. Here’s the tracker.” He took out a small device with a red flickering point on its screen, indicating how far their target was. He handed the device to the female

“Alright, let’s go” the younger male quickly turned away and started walking ahead of her. She quickly followed him through the dance floor and headed towards the hallway that guided towards the inner hidden parts of the mansion.

The two walked with careful steps down the hall, taking a turn to the left then stopped beside a door. Y/N shut down the tracker as she started picking up the conversation on the other side of the door.

“...... that’s a really over-exaggerated price for the bullets!!! We don’t even know if they’re truly made of vibranium!!” The HYDRA agent growled

“Are you questioning my credibility? If so, the deal is off. I risked my life to get my hands on these. If you don’t want them then I’ll gladly find a new buyer for a higher price. What do you say now?”

“So now you’re twisting my arm?”

“I just want enough pay worth the effort. If you don’t like it then the deal is off”

The sound of the safety of a gun being released

“You don’t mess with HYDRA, Gustav...” he threatened

“Put your gun down, Kristoff....” the arm dealer’s tone was just as menacing as his client’s

“These bullets are ours. We’re your best buyers. So hand them over”

“I won’t hand them over unless you agree to the price. I’ll reduce it by 100k but that’s all you’re getting” he finalized

“.... fine. Tomorrow at 7 AM the exchange will happen at a warehouse registered under my name near the uninhabited part of the industrial area.” Kristoff ordered as his steps along with two more pairs could be heard approaching the door from the far end of the room.

With lighting fast reflexes, Y/N gripped her partner’s wrist and quickly pulled him down the hall. She tried the first door on the right and to her good luck, it was open. She quickly pulled her partner and locked the door behind them. She placed her ear on the door, listening to see if they’d been caught. And to her dismay, she heard footsteps approaching the door. She took a couple of steps back and quickly unzipped her dress, turning around to her partner who was eyeing her owlishly

“Jacob, follow my lead... or we’re dead” she seethed as her dress pooled by her ankles, the dark blue lace corset and underwear were uncovered. His eyes trailed down her body hungrily as she gripped his wrists again and wrenched him towards her, pushing off his tuxedo jacket as she backed up against the wall. Their lips clashed together feverishly as the male pinned her harms to the wall possessively after pulling off their masks in a swift move. The door knob shook violently then the door was kicked off its hinges. The two broke their embrace and gazed with wide eyes at the intrusion. It was Kristoff who had his hand on his pistol but quickly composed himself when he saw the scene in front of him. Jacob pulled the female behind him as she hugged herself bashfully

“Hey!! Excuse me!! Didn’t you notice the room was taken?!! Thanks for interrupting the moment...” he panted out in agitation

“..... Excuse the interruption... I thought... nevermind....” he eyed them in suspicion as he retreated out with his two goons following him closely. Jacob’s shoulders slumped in relief

“... I gotta admit... that kiss... it was phenomenal... where have you been all my life?” He quickly turned to her, diving in for another kiss that was quickly broken by the female as she was finally sure they had been left alone “... we were almost caught...” the male heaved

“And I just saved us... don’t take advantage of the situation, you ass” she sneered at him as she quickly retrieved her dress and put it on. She walked towards the mirror in the room and corrected her appearance then headed out, leaving her male partner slumping in disappointment before he heaved a sigh then followed her.

***********

Three pairs of faint steps navigated through the darkened parts of the warehouse. The three S.H.I.E.L.D agents, dressed in black clothing moved stealthily between the shelves and storage bins. They were lead by the female, face covered by the gas mask and hair tightly pulled into a bun. Her kalashinkov clutched into her hands, ready to attack at any given second. Her army boots trudged down the warehouse silently as she gauged the darkness for any sign of movement. She slowly came to a halt, signing for her partners to pause, she could hear someone talking... she picked up parts of the conversation being exchanged but couldn’t make out a coherent sentence. She grumbled to herself then signed for the two men to circle from the right of a storage bin while she took the left. Jacob hesitated a bit but was harshly pulled back into focus by Rick. The three headed towards the door to the meeting room at the back of the warehouse.

 

Jacob prepared a smoke grenade as he reached the door, halting his movements along with Rick as Y/N silently ordered them to stop. She listened in on the conversation.

“..... 20 bullets as we agreed.”

“Don’t they look beautiful? Alright. Here’s your payment. If it’s not true vibranium we’ll come back for your head.” The clicking sound of a case opening could be heard through the door. The female motioned for her comrades to get ready as she quickly got to her feet and kicked the door off its hinges. In the span of a few seconds, Jacob had thrown the grenade into the room and it immediately exploded. The occupants of the room started coughing heavily, momentarily distracted.

Y/N switched the air filtering of her mask on and charged into the room with her kalashinkov. She shot down 3 of the men inside the room, two of which were Gustav’s bodyguards and the third was the arms dealer himself. Kristoff quickly cuffed the cases to himself and to one of his underlings as he rushed out through the commotion. Richard and Jacob immediately followed them as the female continued with her shoot out till one of the men attacked her from the side. She quickly hit him with her gun’s magazine square in the face. Another man, a HYDRA agent tackled her, causing her to stumble a little so she elbowed him in the face then dropped her heavy gun to disarm a groggy man trying to aim his gun at her head. She kicked the gun out of his grip then punched his jaw with half force, leaving a loud crack in the room indicating some bones are probably fractured.

Fist followed by fist and kick followed by kick, all men in the room were laid flat on the ground, either dead or unconscious. She let out a long breath as she apprehended the unconscious offenders to further investigate them then headed after her teammates. She increased the length and force of her strides, crossing the facility in record timing. As she neared the exit, she could hear rapid fire being exchanged. She took out her two AMT Automags from their holsters, each hand retracting a gun from its holster on the opposite hip. She pulled back the safeties with her thumbs, then charged full force out the warehouse. There were 5 targets left, two of which had cases cuffed to their wrists. She recognized Kristoff as one of the targets with cases. The scene played in front of her in slow motion as she shot down one man with a case cuffed to him and another one that was acting as shield for Kristoff. Her ears picked up on the voices of Jacob and Richard shouting at her to be careful. They were trying to give her as much back up as they could with their machine guns. She spared them a side glance as she noticed Jacob’s Head nodding to the sky. She recognized the sound of a chopper approaching them. Definitely HYDRA. She growled under her breath then attacked the last two men shielding Kristoff who was obviously cornered now.

He kept clicking his gun that was out of bullets then threw it away while cussing loudly in Russian. He charged at her, trying to hit her with the metal case cuffed to his arm. The female fended off the blow with her left forearm then elbowed him in the face with her right arm. He stumbled back, nose bleeding. He seethed at her and started exchanging blows with her. She blocked each and every one of his hits expertly then swiped his legs from underneath him and tackled him to the ground. She forced him down with her weight, chocking him with her right elbow as she used a titanium knife that was strapped to her thigh to cut off the cuff chains. She kicked the case away from him and towards her quickly approaching comrades. They were shouting at her to fall back but it was too late. The chopper had reached them and was raining fire down at them with their miniguns. As if on reflex, her wings sprung out, tearing through the back of her stealth suit and enveloping her protectively. She growled in pain as the bullets pierced through the flesh of her wings. She angrily swung her long powerful wings at the chopper’s front, successfully distracting the pilot and forcing him to swerve away dangerously. She quickly got up and ran for cover, her wings proudly stretched to protect her from the oncoming bullet rain. She quickly retracted her wings as she slid behind a discarded container near the gates of the warehouse where Richard and Jacob were settled. She was panting heavily and gritting her teeth in pain. She turned to the two gaping men as she took off her mask

“Did you get the case? What are you two staring at?” She seethed. Richard showed her the case in his arm as the younger of the two men eyed her carefully

“..... Y/N...? Since when do you have...wings....?” He questioned cautiously causing her to roll her eyes at him before looking out from behind the container and witnessing Kristoff latching onto the ladder to the chopper as they flew away from the area.

“I guess we can say mission accomplished, boys?”

**********

The trio stood respectfully with their hands behind their backs in front of a small private jet in a secluded part of Washington’s Airport. An African man descended down the stairs to meet them, he was the king of Wakanda followed by two women that looked like his escorts with really stern expressions. Y/N saluted him and offered him the case with the bullets inside.

“As requested, your highness, we retrieved the bullets. Exactly 20 bullets.”

“Thank you, Sergeant Y/L/N. We are indebted to you. Vibranium is truly precious to us in Wakanda.” He spoke with a heavy accent but to her he was perfectly understandable

“It was an honor to help protect your precious resource, your highness. We’re glad we delivered to your satisfaction. The agents that we’ve captured are currently being investigated to see how they got their hands on these bullets. Once we get the information out of them, the report will immediately be sent your way.” She reported professionally

“Alright, Thank you again. You truly are an outstanding woman.” He gave her a respectful nod that she returned with a salute as he headed back to his plane with the two women stiffly following behind him.

Y/N, Jacob and Richard waited patiently till the plane departed then let out sighs of relief.

“Time for vacation!!” Jacob hollered as he stretched.

“You’re insufferable...” growled his friend who turned to the female “Y/N, can you please get yourself properly checked? Your.... wings... got shot... and you didn’t get them checked when we went to the medical bay.... so yeah....” he trailed off as he wasn’t sure how to address this new discovery

“I know. I’ll get them fixed later, but right now I really need some sleep. I’ve been awake for 60 hours since we’ve come back and I need the sleep.” She chuckled dismissively as she jumped into her convertible car.

“At least now we know why they call her Lucifer....” Jacob concluded in shock and she smirked at him in response. She waved at her two companions as she drove off towards her house. She played some jazz on her radio, enjoying the short-lived peace. She hummed to the best, fingers drumming gently on the steering wheel as the wind caressed her H/C locks. A faint smile graced her lips as she reminded herself to check on Peggy and Howard.

After a short drive, she finally reached her apartment at the heart of NYC. She dropped her keys on a small cabinet by the door where she keeps her winter boots. She took off her military jacket and placed it on the coat rack as she stretched her strained back muscles. She continued humming to herself, eyes closed as she treaded down the halls, every step memorized. She stripped in her tracks and snapped her eyes open... she could hear the heartbeat of three people in the room. She snarled in frustration as she walked into the living room and was greeted with two men dressed entirely in black

“Is this some sort of a joke....?” She mocked as she charged at them. They evaded her punches and locked her wrists in their strong grips. She swung her body to land kicks to their sides when they stuck two needles into her neck, drugging her. She seethed angrily as her legs suddenly gave out under her. They’d drugged her. How is that even possible? Did the serum weaken earlier than expected? They supported her body as her vision started getting blurry, the third man in black approaching her with slow arrogant steps

“..... Seems like you’re not so strong now, huh?” The man revealed his face with a disgusting sneer at her. The female groaned in pain as her vision blackened after she’d recognized the man. It was Kristoff. Seems like Howard’s worries finally came true....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don't repost without proper crediting.


	13. Chapter (12) - ★

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader
> 
> (1) Bucky starts to remember his past as the Winter Soldier. He can see bits and pieces. But there’s this presence at the back of his head that he yearns for, but can’t reach. Suddenly, a new face pops into his life, bringing with them old and new memories.
> 
> (2) After Thanos wiped out half the universe, a new face crosses Steve’s path asking to join the fight. Y/N declares herself to him asking for a chance at vengeance. Thanos took everything from her. Both Bucky and her bundle of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there’s probably lots of confusion right now but let me explain. I used to post this fic on tumblr prior to the decision to flag blogs. Now, since my blog got flagged and I can’t exactly access it properly, I don’t know whether I’ll continue posting on tumblr but I’m glad I found a new and better platform. I just migrated my fic today from tumblr and in the coming weeks I’ll migrate the rest of my things. Anyway, back to fic talk. It took me so long to post this chapter (4 months yes) simply because I hit a massive writer’s block and I had a problem with how to end the chapter. I ended up cramming too much details in it so I decided to divide it into two chapters instead of one to make things easier for me. This chapter is probably by far the longest I’ve written. I hope I didn’t make any fatal mistakes since I had too much to worry about while writing and Bucky might be OOC here (I’m assuming) so, sorry about that. I’ve talked enough. Hope you guys enjoy~ ♥️
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of human experimentation, murder, torture and kidnapping.

_“..... Seems like you’re not so strong now, huh?” The man revealed his face with a disgusting sneer at her. The female groaned in pain as her vision blackened after she’d recognized the man. It was Kristoff. Seems like Howard’s worries finally came true...._

There was a persistent panging in her head. The voices trailing around her in muffled noises she couldn’t recognize. She felt herself being dragged then placed on a cold metal surface. She kept drifting in and out of consciousness. She recognized the sting of needles piercing into her limbs, but she couldn’t move. Suddenly, she felt like her body was set on fire. Everything hurt and she tried to struggle but failed miserably. She could hear the faint screaming of someone, finally registering it was her screaming when she felt her throat getting scratchy. She was confused and didn’t understand what was happening to her or how she got there. And that’s when she completely blacked out.

Y/N’s eyes snapped open as she finally awakened, the persistent headache still prominent at the back of her head. The spotlight placed over her blaring into her eyes forcing her to screw them shut again. She felt her muscles stiff, refusing to let her move as she pleased. She felt like her back was on an operation table. She slowly opened her eyes again, noting her blurry vision and labored breathing. Her brain worked to reduce her imminent panic as she tried to regain her bearings. As her eyes slowly focused and she couldn’t recognize her surroundings. The memories flooded her brain as she remembered her abduction forcing a knot to form in her chest. Her heart thudded in her chest wildly as she heard footsteps approaching her. She tried to get up but finally noticed her hands and feet were cuffed to the table with heavy metallic cuffs. The approaching man invaded her line of sight as he leaned over her side wearing a lab coat and a despicable smirk.

“While, hello there, Sergeant Y/L/N. I’m really pleased to officially meet you. I’d like to welcome you here in HYDRA. After all, you’ll be staying here for a while....” he sneered at her mockingly

“.... W-what do you want from me..?” She panted out

“Me? I want nothing... my higher-ups unfortunately see you as a precious dark horse that could actually help us achieve what we want... You’re enhanced. A female. We also happen to have an enhanced individual.... maybe... just maybe.... we could, perhaps, form a union between the two of you and you’d give birth to the very first naturally born super soldier...” he explained to her still sporting the mocking tone

“What do you mean?!! What have you done to me?!!” She seethed at him as she pulled at her restraints violently. He openly laughed at her

“We simply injected you with some inhibitor to reduce the strength you gained from the super soldier serum. But apparently your body isn’t at its full power to begin with so not much inhibitor was needed” he signed for the bodyguards to come over to help him shackle her and transfer her to a cell

“You bastard... I’ll show you!!!” She growled angrily. She tried to struggle but they easily restrained her. They put her hands into thick metal cuffs before dragging her through the facility.

Her feet couldn’t hold her up as she walked but she quickly regained her balance. Her bare feet weakly trudged on the concrete ground. They dragged her to a secluded quarter of the facility then stopped in front of a reinforced door. The man in the lab coat unlocked the electronic lock on the door using a code she didn’t quite catch. The door swung open and the bodyguards threw her inside the room without uncuffing her. She scrambled to her feet as she tried to attack but it was too late as they’d slammed the door shut, locking her in. She kept slamming her fists desperately on the door, pulling on the restraints and grunting angrily.

Her body froze as soon as she registered the breathing and steady heartbeat of someone behind her. She slowly turned around to face whoever it was. It was a man with long brown hair. He was sitting on the only bed in the room that was tucked at the back of the room by the wall. His head was leaning forward as he stared at the ground right in front of him, hair hiding his features as he stayed still. Y/N’s eyes landed on his left arm. It was made of metal with a red star on the shoulder... she could feel the chill of fear raking through her body. He slowly looked up and his blue eyes met with hers. Something in her clicked, she’d seen him somewhere before but couldn’t remember where exactly.... she took slow steps by the wall as she tried to put more distance between them if possible.

His eyes wouldn’t leave her as she carefully moved away from the door, as if she was an endangered rabbit and he was the wolf hunting her. Suddenly, he got to his feet, putting her on edge. He slowly strode towards her. Her body shivered in fear and her breathing quickened. She tugged on her restraints violently as a desperate attempt to free herself before he could hurt her. But it was too late, only two more steps and he’d reach her. So she surrendered, screwing her eyes shut.

The sound of metal crunching pierced through her ear, causing her eyes to snap open. His metal arm was stationed on her cuffs, crushing them. His eyes were fixated on her small hands, eyeing them curiously. Her shock was evident as she gawked at him. He looked back up again, before turning around and walking back to the bed without uttering a single word. The female eyed him in suspicion, switching her gaze to the door of the cell then back at him. He went back to staring at the ground by his feet, completely ignoring her presence now. She slowly slid her body down till she sat on the ground and hugged her legs, willing this nightmare to end...

**********

Minutes turned to hours. Hours turned to days. Days turned into weeks. Y/N lost track of how many days had passed, how much time she’d wasted in this hell hole. They treated her like an animal, dragging her every night to torture chambers when she wouldn’t cooperate. Of course she never did. She’d screamed till her voice helped her no more. She cussed and swore vengeance, which they returned with mocking sneers. After the long hours of torture, she always ended up being dragged back to the same cell with the silent brunet who she learned they called Soldat. She thought they were speaking German but to her utter shock, she understood nothing. And that’s when it clicked, they were speaking Russian not German. She’d heard before that the two languages had similar words and similar pronunciation that’s why people sometimes mistook them for each other. Not that any of that mattered.

She noticed the brunet almost always had a lost look on his face, the light in his irises had long been put out. He was a shell of a human, a robot even, and that scared her even more. She maintained the distance, tucking herself in her small corner away from him. She’d doze off with her head resting on her knees then wake up to find him eyeing her curiously, increasing her discomfort before he looked away. Some days after she’d been returned to the cell, she’d discover she was alone. He was gone. Those days she’d revel in some form of security she gained from being away from him. She’d tried to sleep on the bed once. That day, she opened her eyes to find him standing over her, eyeing her carefully with those soulless eyes. She froze in place, not knowing what to do. Was he planning on harming her? To her surprise, he just stood there eyeing her silently, as if he’d never seen her before. As if he’d never seen a woman before? She frowned as she sat up. She glared at him and seethed

“Enough of your persistent staring, you oaf!!! If you have anything to say, say it!!” She knew he wouldn’t understand her, after all he only spoke Russian.

“.... your skin is burned.... around the wrists...” he replied to her like he was having difficulty letting the words out even though he spoke fluent English. She stared at him wide eyed, as if he was some sort of a mythical creature...

“Y-you understood me...?”

“... yes... your burns... they gave it to you...?” He asked her, his eyes fixated on the ugly scorched skin

“What do you expect?!! They’ve been torturing me ever since I got here!!! Haven’t you been through the same?!!” She seethed at him

“..... I can’t remember...” he admitted, his gaze switching away from her, getting lost somewhere far away. Y/N frowned at him... it was apparent he’s been through more than she has... she shook her head, pushing the glimmer of sympathy she almost felt for him

“Well whatever!!” She briskly got up and walked back to her corner, hugging her knees as she sat on the ground, glaring at him. He stared at her for a while before they heard a clicking sound coming from the door.

It was the matron, opening the small slider in the door to pass them their good trays.

“ваша еда, солдат” she spoke coldly as she passed him his tray then pushed on the next “ваша еда, крыса” snarling at the female mockingly. The brunet placed his tray on the bed then went to take the second tray, catching the matron’s wrist and squeezing it tightly in the process

“здесь есть только одна крыса” He grumbled at her as she hissed in pain.

“отпустите меня сейчас, или я скажу им, чтобы они снова очистили ваши воспоминания” she threatened and he let go of her hand. She slammed the slider shut and briskly walked away

“.... what was that all about?” Y/N finally spoke up

“..... nothing...”

“That wasn’t nothing!!! I know it concerned me!! I have the right to know!!” His reply was silence as he placed both trays in front of her, maintaining distance when he noticed her stiffen as he closed in on her. He turned around and laid on the bed, back facing his cellmate. She eyed his tray curiously

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“..... no... you need it more than me... so take it...”

“What about telling me what just happened?” Silence was the reply once again. “Are you seriously just going to ignore me?!! Unbelievable!!” She grumbled in exasperation before an idea popped into her head “I want you to teach me Russian... and you better start on it once you get up..” she hissed as she started examining her food carefully for any abnormalities.

************

“еда на вкус плохая”

“еда на вкус плока?”

“No, not, плока... плохая”

“еда на вкус... плохая?”

“Yes.... correct...” the male replied as he rested his head on the wall behind him. He was sitting on the bed, back rested on the wall, right knee raised as his arm rested on it. He had his metal arm tucked beside him and away from her eyes. Y/N was sitting at the other end of the bed to his right with both her knees raised and arms resting on them. She stared silently at the ceiling before his voice rang in the room again

“.... what do I call you...?”

“What?” She questioned in confusion and she turned her head towards him. He still faced ahead, avoiding looking at her. He didn’t repeat his question as it seemed he decided to retract it

“.... Y/M/N.... call me Y/M/N....” she finally answered as she turned towards the ceiling again. Her gaze slowly slipped again towards him, before her head followed suit, allowing her to get a better look at him.

It’s been a while since she started to warm up to him. She didn’t know days from nights but she speculated it’d been a week or so since they started talking. His silent brooding had somewhat decreased and he stopped silently staring at her as she’d made it obvious how much it made her uncomfortable. He actually avoided looking at her for too long all together, and that somehow gave the female the opportunity to properly look at him. Her eyes trailed from his long brown locks to the light scruff that littered his chin, passing by his eyes hidden behind his hair. Her graze settled on his muscular frame. Back when she’d started working under Howard’s wing, she took a liking to his vast collection of books on lots of topics, some of which he admitted he hadn’t read as he thought the content wasn’t that appealing. There was a certain book about Greek mythology that mentioned the story of Adonis. He was described as an exceptionally handsome young man with a beautiful masculine body. Some descriptions depicted him by saying his beauty would elicit desire and jealousy in the Greek gods. The female’s train of thought raced through her memories over the multiple pieces she’d read about Adonis and unconsciously settled on the thought: Had Adonis actually lived, he’d surely be the man sitting next to her....

“.... you’re staring you know....” his voice snapped her out of her small reverie as her eyes widened. She finally noticed those deep blue eyes, that used to stare at her soullessly but now had a faint spark of humanity returned to them, staring right into her E/C gaze. The two stared deeply into each other’s eyes... the male found himself lost in those E/C pools... He was confused, he didn’t know how he felt if he actually felt anything... he knew he was a puppet that did what it was told... but these constrictions in his chest felt vaguely familiar yet utterly foreign at the same time. He knew this woman had this effect on him and it didn’t seem to bother him. He noticed her cheeks reddening a bit and for some odd reason, his arm moved on its own accord and hesitantly caressed her cheek with his knuckles... the female flinched lightly but didn’t pull away from his touch. Her heart beat quickened and she knew it didn’t go unnoticed by her companion as his pupils dilated ever so slightly... he caressed her cheek again, less hesitant this time... but unfortunately the spell was soon broken.

The moment was interrupted as the door started clicking as it was unlocked. The male immediately retracted his hand and stood on guard as the cell door was swung open and a man wearing a HYDRA military uniform strode in with a couple of bodyguards waiting by the door

“солдат, нам нужны ваши услуги” he spoke coldly as he glared at the female, trying to get a read on the situation prior to his entry. The brunet’s stature went rigid as he went into fighting mood, turning into a cold robot.

“Я готов” he replied monotonely as he followed the officer out. The female watched with wide eyes before she reflexively caught his metal arm

“Soldat...? Where are you going?” She questioned before she can ask herself what she was doing. He didn’t look back at her as he retracted is arm from her grasp. The officer gave her a disgusted look before striding out of the cell after the soldier. The door was slammed behind them as the female stared at it in disbelief...

************

A couple of days passed since then and the female dreaded her companion’s return. It’s been a while since they’d called him out like that. Whenever they did, he’d return a mere shell of himself. She was worried what might happen and for the first time in a while she actually was wondering how S.H.I.E.L.D was doing. How Peggy and Howard were doing... How Andrea was doing...? Were they looking for her...? Had it been that long...? She hugged herself and chewed on her lip. She was laying on the bed, faced away from the door when the familiar clicking resounded in the cell. The door opened and she quickly sat up and stared at the silent intruder. It was the Soldier, face hidden behind his long locks. The female slowly stood up and walked towards him... she was hesitant as she stepped in front of him and he looked up to meet her eyes... and to her utter surprise, they were the same as they were before he left...

“Soldat...?”

“...Yeah...” he answered her gently and she hugged him without thinking.

“.... welcome back...” she whispered into his chest. He stiffened at the gesture, as if he didn’t know how to reciprocate it. He settled for resting his right hand on the small of her back snuggly. Y/N took his left hand and gently placed it on her back as well, which raised the confusion in the man

“.... you’re not afraid... of it...?”

“... not really...”

“.... do you know what I’ve done with it...?”

“I have a good guess, yes... but I still don’t fear it... I know that whatever you did was in order to survive.... I don’t know what they keep doing to you... but I know that’s what’s forcing you to do this...” she reassured him.

The soldier tightened his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair... she was the only rope holding him away from insanity... the two had started depending on each other as anchors, both knowing that the other is just another victim no matter what.... even if that would end up naming them as traitors to where they belong.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> • ваша еда, солдат = your meal, Soldier  
> • ваша еда, крыса = your meal, tat  
> • здесь есть только одна крыса = the only rat around here is you  
> • отпустите меня сейчас, или я скажу им, чтобы они снова очистили ваши воспоминания = let me go now or I’ll tell them to wipe your memories clean again  
> • еда на вкус плохая = the food tastes bad  
> • еда на вкус плока = the food tastes like block (here I just wanted to change the word like it’s a mistake in pronunciation and I didn’t know it actually had a meaning 😂😂)  
> • солдат, нам нужны ваши услуги = soldier, we are in need of your services  
> • Я готов = I’m ready 
> 
> Feedback of all types is welcome and please don't repost without proper crediting.


End file.
